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 5040309 Details
Epoch: 233 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 15640156 epoch_slot_no: 347356 block_no: 5040132 slot_leader_id: 4555957 size: 2578 time: 2020-12-05 22:14:07 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04f20b2de67194655403d22fed5c5a53c260ff35be7879af7d1619815736aac2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19gst8x5h2ypvr84p69za7ys90x39jh8x66t82dpykylwe6c40l0s5ks6l5 op_cert: \xa908a032189ba20acd7b9ad40eaf9d29c2c077585438cb6933071a7e684ff66d op_cert_counter: 2