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 9697853 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 111505329 epoch_slot_no: 308529 block_no: 9697676 slot_leader_id: 4577284 size: 14086 time: 2023-12-20 11:27:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x64860ddd0ebcae3ba4550cd9fec3fe36fae72729c88711eac7ecdf0a1d363b4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fry5jp72cm57asmqp5hv9rsk2twlnxfx5mlqmc2thlp22f4ma2zs4gz2f4 op_cert: \x112c319810b26213d74a5d15f1beae2b95a420a3a8e99654892db99bc015097b op_cert_counter: 66