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 5309686 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 21097689 epoch_slot_no: 188889 block_no: 5309509 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 12291 time: 2021-02-07 02:13:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59a503fc133897e89bc135d1dc084b0166313f95a81736e83cd234f1b862cbb1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x96dc40ed90893b17e26cb54de7c528f7a48efd0accee04ff9bdea194d7fd0ff2 op_cert_counter: 0