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 5146073 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 17798617 epoch_slot_no: 345817 block_no: 5145896 slot_leader_id: 4556049 size: 521 time: 2020-12-30 21:48:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xea49634e9ba29846a2cfa89c2477439fba23760157ae66b249acd857c473317dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1md23rugrrnl66ja45503p6vdmzvwqlflc8yhva877gxtln9sekgsx2ehap op_cert: \x4126c7f87bf70578357a71da9e1ee08d024deac42ea3484e6e2facf8d1fe86b6 op_cert_counter: 1