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 9698972 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 111528695 epoch_slot_no: 331895 block_no: 9698795 slot_leader_id: 8863384 size: 79040 time: 2023-12-20 17:56:26 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9fe4f6ced05db86ba8dd866d47c56e239db4316ec0396ca31e71eb114f1f6fa6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lxjxczr2s4ad449ck8rfs0e222y4alx5zvzxpeqhzw8a29dgenksrdx0ug op_cert: \xb4d78135d2a926b45591724b03df7a4f47cb9906cddbfa6cfbd523222f1ee448 op_cert_counter: 2