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 5342499 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 21758134 epoch_slot_no: 417334 block_no: 5342322 slot_leader_id: 4555559 size: 9649 time: 2021-02-14 17:40:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1a0137dd506a3dd7cc3f3590a5b3309fe5c2638b82c120f69550071bd3887eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtjqjwqte7lj8h4z3hvyz7w97mnlgkj26mnhs79vlflus34u2txq3a5z6z op_cert: \x7711f9316df378a2e82ad57b7a25427de75b758544d531b32dc8c635367b6642 op_cert_counter: 3