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 5340339 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 21715061 epoch_slot_no: 374261 block_no: 5340162 slot_leader_id: 4744989 size: 8617 time: 2021-02-14 05:42:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x236aa79f96ff6c642145c10ba21a663b15d9cc0716d92bc197853791c945cf1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10rdmjvkgujx4vgwntvnzwq48n0wlrwunfy9sx8m393as07taspxqss860v op_cert: \x4d98f4f4d869c34c48a9135be21217e686f68353123af8c283160aa4e1175d4a op_cert_counter: 2