A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 9697142 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 111491387 epoch_slot_no: 294587 block_no: 9696965 slot_leader_id: 4563470 size: 74941 time: 2023-12-20 07:34:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcfa5ec45d98a2cf6e8ef8e0db48458d56781faa5ffea829823d66a0ffacba828Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fmkjgjt7t50p49zn0gul8eca0kjuk6kgpc0k6ka2jk5ndq2znu2qh8n508 op_cert: \x28839dc1b4f76ca3b145e37c50670b7908207c37cbf0e73819a568921aac259c op_cert_counter: 16