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 5342612 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 21760651 epoch_slot_no: 419851 block_no: 5342435 slot_leader_id: 4573058 size: 4127 time: 2021-02-14 18:22:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x012ee5c0fb18baaa0acabc30959a5bc67097ea1b86317b9ba2ac21f042539b34Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f6xhq4vk480uh3mexmd2gxvsw7k9qpts34xjntg40wnjr3lywj6qezqz73 op_cert: \x485181ef06efb8ee55a17b6f58f1cf365e62fe6b6bb2827c00cd10dc5187ab01 op_cert_counter: 2