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 5340861 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 21725786 epoch_slot_no: 384986 block_no: 5340684 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 3401 time: 2021-02-14 08:41:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x163a592864d32c8286b23096980b3fbd0fd7c8a8f1be1c84c279f28238dac26aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \xd18ddf032bb095da9c2eb95d41c5ac21ffc80de278db41c47ed811188fc97a62 op_cert_counter: 1