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 5142497 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 17725536 epoch_slot_no: 272736 block_no: 5142320 slot_leader_id: 4646548 size: 2521 time: 2020-12-30 01:30:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb396ad15f066616e4c0a32e7400617d9b565862b9a9e75247807a8c6aeb664e0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxlu5vrfkcnlg965j42egkv797g3up57argyta0xavucm7z7hvus0x0cgg op_cert: \x50b09de08e5b3a0cf793c19e793c8ab6ad8cf2939ce687cbd2d5488868462c54 op_cert_counter: 1