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 5138605 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 17647104 epoch_slot_no: 194304 block_no: 5138428 slot_leader_id: 5023482 size: 8745 time: 2020-12-29 03:43:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x391bef5ef888bf311e0d9f7965f9580c000cc35e3e15e3e02d737f9e44629f7dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pj5tlwvaygmpdcc97kpeelc348rdccma9kdrekn9xxlp4ppztxnsese28h op_cert: \x16a39768e2e7c6c75a7eb25178d3b7b82919bb294d7533224e9f88ff3cca8a3d op_cert_counter: 0