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 9698419 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 28 slot_no: 111517040 epoch_slot_no: 320240 block_no: 9698242 slot_leader_id: 6536968 size: 86121 time: 2023-12-20 14:42:11 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9e146c3da701460a8066e1e63f9cfbb9cd99b78be8f2fc14a4065059a7ebeb2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19xg6t6hnvvr02z5wsq5mgkcdwqyfx0wrvxqewn5swhckwdaflfxsa5tan4 op_cert: \x9ecda4c84265f3743451bae12a01ca74373b1f85901237bb9480278658a9f590 op_cert_counter: 7