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 9704046 Details
Epoch: 456 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 111632668 epoch_slot_no: 3868 block_no: 9703869 slot_leader_id: 5873516 size: 83482 time: 2023-12-21 22:49:19 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8efd4b90c0c7bf27d15d683149666dc2a8f7dada3846f80b3a3466dd5c6818cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17nk9vcmu2aqr6d6frzgg7umnd9eldemm6fye8warl47cnw7fkx5sjvxfmh op_cert: \xef2b759551747e365c436402af55937be57eb1de80dc8172b73ac419cc7c12f1 op_cert_counter: 17