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 5290698 Details
Epoch: 245 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 20717761 epoch_slot_no: 240961 block_no: 5290521 slot_leader_id: 4583034 size: 3474 time: 2021-02-02 16:40:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x174c69d0f3a38cf1ce41c75458a19c5490fde7f0ead738be31c9a46dd36d72aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r4q8cw7lezcf4xlc40uxwfnqs5k3k864lqpfppcateantlzf9gaqcgehgp op_cert: \x0c6826ec7889da5f7489077ed7a9e60849233720475b934f2ba5e45f5bf6064d op_cert_counter: 2