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 5640042 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 27860651 epoch_slot_no: 39851 block_no: 5639865 slot_leader_id: 5449570 size: 3642 time: 2021-04-26 08:49:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x71be5e06cf50c952ee2286efe4256cae194a173cede555a2031ab365821eb4a3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t9ldgqvw7f6lvht0ykznym9r6xr3nz5da6hmkl90vtu2hhpwghes67da3q op_cert: \x1228df2611e9970b08fc0e8f142ed1a840db8fa9c26d65bf8d5da851e50bc086 op_cert_counter: 2