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 5042697 Details
Epoch: 233 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 15689216 epoch_slot_no: 396416 block_no: 5042520 slot_leader_id: 4555884 size: 1360 time: 2020-12-06 11:51:47 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x196b1259ef1490f234cde44511e1359b031446221b4e1272aab18eddae52d28aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t675th7lfmnks2w3jhkzgaceqnhrj3ec0ulx2qzaav4he64nj0qqncsczk op_cert: \x2c4f0e3f1388d064963275576efd82b635eee914136d6509a78bb933e8dbeadb op_cert_counter: 5