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 5304863 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 20999312 epoch_slot_no: 90512 block_no: 5304686 slot_leader_id: 5088400 size: 11589 time: 2021-02-05 22:53:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc69969bb6566c3c36e83dfc09d3fb8ec51dda7705dbe093b1372634a2b24a4baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gnjhn3qensa6anw677y7uvh8rdjkwxhsm0xdehq4xkgvpxeckp5qq8ul8m op_cert: \x61248b5546b04e5822c3530ce46b0521dae0d117a4fe4a417b8743cb53fec3bd op_cert_counter: 1