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 5140519 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 17684901 epoch_slot_no: 232101 block_no: 5140342 slot_leader_id: 4558711 size: 8747 time: 2020-12-29 14:13:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3a94de8f3c4b343f5dd0fdeccbca09955f4b4a090c8c631ed8b0da63f3c9bb1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnpprrn77xe9as4a7cv5dehdr5ju6h06w87nn4rnfr2kr2dw3jyqpcy2r6 op_cert: \xb91c212e92ea83fc19605ac6d6d82927b025cb669c1a4b04b837726e26f000fd op_cert_counter: 2