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 9698849 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 51 slot_no: 111526113 epoch_slot_no: 329313 block_no: 9698672 slot_leader_id: 4558946 size: 83901 time: 2023-12-20 17:13:24 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42d1a3e32d34987979f4e2a4f1346ccb91c8b56ce6492be16cfabe2cc853548bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pj8n7cv07gn4s83vnxgnh3l4m0uqunud2hfmn6d203v6gjvn6jfq9yanjy op_cert: \x8b02adaa873f82ea72608720f9c9c93290cb949e849667fcad404657845abe11 op_cert_counter: 15