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 9698817 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 111524997 epoch_slot_no: 328197 block_no: 9698640 slot_leader_id: 8968645 size: 80887 time: 2023-12-20 16:54:48 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58262bdb561984a87912e0718c78d75a875e040069b76d12be4ea52d0dee7f71Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uztwujp95p5mvkd3sum4wfnd2qgxdtu3c80khume9c09xmmem9lqzd2u88 op_cert: \x1d5a5fbe6a35802cca4434def94dc3bd254ab8fa61bba7a5454715cbc0ef94cb op_cert_counter: 11