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 5342342 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 21754977 epoch_slot_no: 414177 block_no: 5342165 slot_leader_id: 4555407 size: 980 time: 2021-02-14 16:47:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x385963d2a47fad09efa7ef46f38ced9190f5fe3770aa4140abf291a0645a1fc2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dpe0n23qr4eqd4yq7f8q2zt5s7hxwvx2sh39p22j5jv9dya6j6hsavwa7s op_cert: \xb2ae541559eddd22247cec956a9b52657a084a43ac25c5290b1080c40a7031d2 op_cert_counter: 5