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 5342338 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 21754856 epoch_slot_no: 414056 block_no: 5342161 slot_leader_id: 4557674 size: 5760 time: 2021-02-14 16:45:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8e478a896f5a06611a91605b7c775835d73691a9406d2f574da99b37ef5ce404Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1da3263cgw8qypes8yhd3uj34p6n4yf9wqaa5nlf2gwura3jpeumsyaeppa op_cert: \x5ae51330482ac342682cf9d65bf6b8481605a400e70f5395edbf0efd560193bb op_cert_counter: 5