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 5308609 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 21074942 epoch_slot_no: 166142 block_no: 5308432 slot_leader_id: 5086876 size: 5852 time: 2021-02-06 19:53:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x367162554ecfcd6bf9c44d628d205e9f0c93109b7f47f6d34a6be1659295ccf9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nhr70gay78n2u0ddrks75pks6l0u3snev72j9wuglgntv0x8rxtssllx5h op_cert: \x2490f09dbad65f97fbe10c9f02d096d601b8ca55c34b289b8a5ebcb8d5231e74 op_cert_counter: 1