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 5456698 Details
Epoch: 253 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 24085386 epoch_slot_no: 152586 block_no: 5456521 slot_leader_id: 4565000 size: 13352 time: 2021-03-13 16:07:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x040d9c9bf935a0d18eff34ae091d18bbd99147376ba044654ed944b2c253e710Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nf4ql83gqmx3v4l04dzwwlwf8xtcgt6nmv36d9847mmylrrzxu6scj4yh4 op_cert: \x020c7090c83ba39a16dc413e4da2a8481b00e33cbc171adcf53fc35d212b8dac op_cert_counter: 5