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 5142248 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 17720833 epoch_slot_no: 268033 block_no: 5142071 slot_leader_id: 5089566 size: 5387 time: 2020-12-30 00:12:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc738a815796e7431bc2227a36faa7808c476353f662c3cf6e224a474ea00e0cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tj359qd82tmr9rhrj54u67aag4hxrq2ddhkxwglzzgrt6d25v5mqyktmlx op_cert: \x9a48f3c839af0f964e40a3967763990a1017f447cbfabe5762ea432acf4b2808 op_cert_counter: 1