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 5436986 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 23680386 epoch_slot_no: 179586 block_no: 5436809 slot_leader_id: 5086864 size: 2642 time: 2021-03-08 23:37:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa52c554c5ed928d33e6da2dd8a149b4184a19b1593352681e31939ae03a1d4d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k47yqwvgky98aphefw3gzgl8ya640fzmltxc5sucks70vu8g8les6x9ska op_cert: \x15316113fe9325a690bd964f72fe838bf67c680e81a8779e91f65d32a47862b9 op_cert_counter: 3