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 5142904 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 17733589 epoch_slot_no: 280789 block_no: 5142727 slot_leader_id: 4557443 size: 3511 time: 2020-12-30 03:44:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x276d4ee52d62b2dda7558130750cca98d56f406fa0f5ba04eff2483344f2765bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l9hsk5a48zw45jdhj5kf3tnj2j3cjllk4cw4kp29rv425dmrrkpsv5v08u op_cert: \x7a76882fd6bb7375daeea8c271cac3ef935d9cbc4193aaf63192ffe3f1d40010 op_cert_counter: 4