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 9698634 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 111521385 epoch_slot_no: 324585 block_no: 9698457 slot_leader_id: 5180221 size: 86686 time: 2023-12-20 15:54:36 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf8c05c0c92bf6515cf14b29ac67bed05496e767516e610de5696ed419ddd6304Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t4mtkf5jkn7wzzdx2s4cmapn3ncpjerk8vste6xfgs7966xttccsnu2hz6 op_cert: \x005e009ac39a125844a7c221c90ff66746d9cffd450039ad643b2762aaf8409b op_cert_counter: 12