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 5142176 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 17719394 epoch_slot_no: 266594 block_no: 5141999 slot_leader_id: 4567594 size: 7657 time: 2020-12-29 23:48:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6c2a4ef74501d486aba28e9dcc191701e62eb89d5e48ba84d440c98873e2ca75Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk182ttxy4dhxyvmkhxd3zac54f5zwqz7hhnvru8prax2udfcsve8dq8m6h68 op_cert: \x10f643caee04113034596c80123a52a7dbaec923083b1aa18d64ff7a164faf33 op_cert_counter: 2