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 9698864 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 111526373 epoch_slot_no: 329573 block_no: 9698687 slot_leader_id: 5479171 size: 87077 time: 2023-12-20 17:17:44 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34d0cc4591cce78ee1228de5af90daeeef185518aa57b27bc83178821afadd4fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18svfk8jqraqq77c2863zp40rmzk5eeqxum2r4qmu4ejxe2h6d9uqy6qw6v op_cert: \xb5a461892f8bb2a3a52f08d1f33ec6d858118673ac08e3d2b46e7153efe3361b op_cert_counter: 12