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 5142075 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 17717077 epoch_slot_no: 264277 block_no: 5141898 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 1380 time: 2020-12-29 23:09:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8cb66bfb4358f460a32208ca7a4c43dc045bd662bebe55e567ae32c9fb8a132eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \x3ee52addc852c6ff8c5f871365e54af8488671b8d5a31bf23c6ec0dc4e216b18 op_cert_counter: 2