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 5342578 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 21759924 epoch_slot_no: 419124 block_no: 5342401 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 8811 time: 2021-02-14 18:10:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x03c2b2734bb4520c9f8f6b7caf16671b1f5e834664807b48fe4aa23434f78152Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \x68f5c798d31ede410424e712c0a52e1dea140e917b2be87b8a7b8121dc1b8bc0 op_cert_counter: 3