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 5240142 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19699768 epoch_slot_no: 86968 block_no: 5239965 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 2508 time: 2021-01-21 21:54:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98038da17cd04bf3c622a199f7a7a0d08e0a5e97d90b443d449c31cf679834c8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \x150c15d441785a02bb4d6732c3a1d46292a47df7cff4a6776370fcf9afc6d5d4 op_cert_counter: 2