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 5342481 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 21757724 epoch_slot_no: 416924 block_no: 5342304 slot_leader_id: 5152773 size: 6293 time: 2021-02-14 17:33:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c28c7f24ac069d8272292b84e5df964b3d5e12df895d2a3aaecb2130da7a00fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t8plepcw04sd9uv7wjlpjkkxmrtxmwrjufujrad4thxsr3savljsuyslvf op_cert: \x5e5db730f2a9ccea527ad682d98f507f84451457711aad76b446fe7098b41da5 op_cert_counter: 1