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 9697257 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 111493695 epoch_slot_no: 296895 block_no: 9697080 slot_leader_id: 4570659 size: 79904 time: 2023-12-20 08:13:06 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfd81d834b386d05a63d238666be3e1072a1b504355eb725ba3ddcd42299544eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmyw2hyfh8jvgqcfe9kuwjz5506g0z4hamq29x7t8g2rr7cez0zsnrs793 op_cert: \xb2f9224feecccff20f9042db2c09cdc7a2cba8c69dbae7c4981c32f7f2d9926f op_cert_counter: 17