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 5142713 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 17729789 epoch_slot_no: 276989 block_no: 5142536 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 4845 time: 2020-12-30 02:41:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x605f4453ef1220a67eed3aa71fd82d65f84068b8b7f4c926a6c3501aaffc0b5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \xed751281e46f15d62eba73def6222a6879d230a1e1a2086b41a697e59872600a op_cert_counter: 1