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 5142871 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 17732860 epoch_slot_no: 280060 block_no: 5142694 slot_leader_id: 4570659 size: 2048 time: 2020-12-30 03:32:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x72be7365bc128b930e89274467c95f719ac37b116c99d585dfd4c9c84c04db30Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmyw2hyfh8jvgqcfe9kuwjz5506g0z4hamq29x7t8g2rr7cez0zsnrs793 op_cert: \xe28e31b477d6d23821ddd7fd61098ac6f39de656987dff8e930088bc5b27e500 op_cert_counter: 3