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 9698684 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 111522595 epoch_slot_no: 325795 block_no: 9698507 slot_leader_id: 5833644 size: 88961 time: 2023-12-20 16:14:46 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c5b0dcfd2842278960b1723e0b52ce112ea15abbe1cfcebff636d9a081009dbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16c529f5rx9ym8l4hcfu2ym707a79l9sulsy64naerf3uz6dvha5sqc9fgt op_cert: \x7ec264e135957e6f5e9f3f5e2d9e46bd94d773286ac70663a4a529b66a276019 op_cert_counter: 9