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 9698973 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 37 slot_no: 111528699 epoch_slot_no: 331899 block_no: 9698796 slot_leader_id: 8526618 size: 83741 time: 2023-12-20 17:56:30 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x145f974c6c9331bb625cd76b832ccfa949639ca6f9b90c8366bdb0a20ce8c08aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xkknefdcqjrgxjpltns9372x3wafyu4dqc6nkz50f7hyxe4ny9hsfhptzl op_cert: \x4ac1bba755a4dfac05efc88bcccbbd0f3b89a8873d9d7d7e899555a82a0bf39e op_cert_counter: 4