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 9698142 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 111511198 epoch_slot_no: 314398 block_no: 9697965 slot_leader_id: 4560450 size: 46046 time: 2023-12-20 13:04:49 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56071d28b488e0e3b5c4e32e756b38efaccb242b205e65a9e6a53a233437299dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdzq7nyjfgrlg39xdda7ch84agcj92dcj59vvd0thc3azmhcnausr6ed5g op_cert: \xaf93401ff0bc90631de890df4f4b5ec26ff0d9574cf68ae467dec2029380aeeb op_cert_counter: 21