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 9699653 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 111543089 epoch_slot_no: 346289 block_no: 9699476 slot_leader_id: 4965776 size: 68075 time: 2023-12-20 21:56:20 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x242837f3e384112f17fed875e665433dbe06267d0b269cc378acad60e09f1f8eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1275jtnedrechugmqe3wxkaehjdwq5akqj4l8z0utqjhzjf4wpays2e2g0l op_cert: \x53c744fe88660205046be210225eda83568f65da70d34fb5ee738210716edf44 op_cert_counter: 13