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 5142443 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 17724501 epoch_slot_no: 271701 block_no: 5142266 slot_leader_id: 4982078 size: 830 time: 2020-12-30 01:13:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x93b0c03ac946ff28ad1bf314b6363efbb4bfe2d308c02fb1650beaf015827ceaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h2m78p3tmx37geh6hk33n5sr2xsgk4m8z400cu3qmnw503rys7vqppzd63 op_cert: \x64f16281a3d9553a5719597e68ec0ad567cb6802116e6f9d4ccd65cc0967852c op_cert_counter: 2