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 5301686 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 20934939 epoch_slot_no: 26139 block_no: 5301509 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 9156 time: 2021-02-05 05:00:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9652bc7487e3879f2536cd9fe3886adef962c6b0d270bdec0c5969f6b8b0e5c2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x38b0dde516ec7d72608351a06483f498deffa03b78a2f3b6f8729b02fec4a37c op_cert_counter: 1