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 9699663 Details
Epoch: 455 Number of transactions in block: 39 slot_no: 111543361 epoch_slot_no: 346561 block_no: 9699486 slot_leader_id: 9106888 size: 88691 time: 2023-12-20 22:00:52 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a5fc1ae6096512f786092c24f8dedca2afbc5f62a9bb6f57460a7edb5d76750Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12kgwyqwys8g0knugsrlz029xfpwgggxjya0d4tyq9uks2wdu2w3sd9vr35 op_cert: \xcd8dfc2e7baa6db2aa88b92ad5597ff43d066c416c251aff70f56891d56aa343 op_cert_counter: 1