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 5142980 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 17735101 epoch_slot_no: 282301 block_no: 5142803 slot_leader_id: 4579074 size: 1518 time: 2020-12-30 04:09:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58f6bf99b9bbcd633dc929fd0731629cc7d5303772f239e1afb91bc128001b65Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vvaypd7znudt0d895drvqdd7x6svp4wkzu2gxq9rzygd8qk79sxq5jkf3r op_cert: \x80400d3d302ffd0033e618e6f4437728a9413d7ed45fe0cbfb978a2aec095c61 op_cert_counter: 1