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 9698174 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 111511889 epoch_slot_no: 315089 block_no: 9697997 slot_leader_id: 5585940 size: 53722 time: 2023-12-20 13:16:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9eadf546f09c7152da3eb3bf67a7032b71c96d943c6a8181a48a9e1fc68257ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w064pps8jkpee8hs6szluyv7smksch0v4adzja03wepfdw0jxs6q9lh8kg op_cert: \x2327957a1cd549fd1f10009c5bf43406dad0cf8e64ebd9629ae8f6d58010301e op_cert_counter: 13