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 5140143 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 17677647 epoch_slot_no: 224847 block_no: 5139966 slot_leader_id: 5066676 size: 1684 time: 2020-12-29 12:12:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3b44a2349b35a17da63a8144be2b1307fb0455235a6eb3a50a258dad5af8f65dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tn22sa0azvtls9m2jyxxwpw0mjqrprgrrjdrlf43hs45kn2ky9rqv2384z op_cert: \x060dc948a74e41586fb47cd3620dc23b21311541acf834aef26ec54d8ad52a66 op_cert_counter: 0