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 5140400 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 17682502 epoch_slot_no: 229702 block_no: 5140223 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 2258 time: 2020-12-29 13:33:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ed9623c76bafb659d77e5958429d52ec70d4278670c3c09bbd3ead1e993f38aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \xe877114bbf374d827eaad0278c1e0f58a8b586ad866d36edb2223f90ba4dcc87 op_cert_counter: 6