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 9698508 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 111519009 epoch_slot_no: 322209 block_no: 9698331 slot_leader_id: 8484836 size: 16690 time: 2023-12-20 15:15:00 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81d4c67a8625bbcc09f480f1f2a9911d14c1dd377955f87856170814bbac1b73Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fg58zges00zkj26lphma2h3g4sy2dsuefy3u6euywz69q9aaj5vqz97jx8 op_cert: \x4d766b88f75e36fe976ad1b12bb1e649229d9276e4a278b61c8698d65a881f87 op_cert_counter: 3