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 5468535 Details
Epoch: 253 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 24329847 epoch_slot_no: 397047 block_no: 5468358 slot_leader_id: 4567284 size: 5650 time: 2021-03-16 12:02:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x21f89f30c6140c6712f5bd4bd5d2bd0895102da540db400f8ab48cb22b9c691dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1efm8z90hncrsra62ep0pcxusfwdncjnya0gzhlrz3uefw6kftmkqeawv72 op_cert: \xaec2229683f86434492a4c3534407bd5ef3384b08237d9445f048554832d8957 op_cert_counter: 5