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 5142636 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 17728169 epoch_slot_no: 275369 block_no: 5142459 slot_leader_id: 4559683 size: 2206 time: 2020-12-30 02:14:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf4c2f8b0198ada166118b01611f6bc33ef3b1914ed6ae2e1519583788ea01fa3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lzs68gd92uysvu04y23m62d6nwprqm5d2hjal9uwwe390wger3dqvgy23f op_cert: \xd1c1addcf6724bd39333662c7cac763c9b763f6dc34c411ded66f2d220e685a7 op_cert_counter: 2