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 5640342 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 27867350 epoch_slot_no: 46550 block_no: 5640165 slot_leader_id: 5280017 size: 2238 time: 2021-04-26 10:40:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc6204d6067465584ff8e8d04ce5813f80112e9b221510fdce08cc7ec1adeaeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15n7zth7vjpy07f3kenmxq7er9y6e6f8qss8stptf0w7tu0ursxlslch9mx op_cert: \xebeb8245d2d7095b6a2bc4a9e79e2ef37eb0f1d9f344549b38318a52ca09183a op_cert_counter: 1