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 5142583 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 17727214 epoch_slot_no: 274414 block_no: 5142406 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 5697 time: 2020-12-30 01:58:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf1b1ffa2d1837e4f0e74985f1fe9c7e1f93da99f4c25a96c15f0944cd1939d0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xe31d9288ed479485daaca741885308282f35ab1107638d8b333c9622f2c50ca9 op_cert_counter: 2