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 5642885 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 27920004 epoch_slot_no: 99204 block_no: 5642708 slot_leader_id: 4560858 size: 3906 time: 2021-04-27 01:18:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31f1313de8e4725e8c1dc453ee436d3858ae6029b886b667dadb7adfaa4ce641Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mrwwxpf2pdsu4es46gu7rjy82fntc0538p8a7vuhrmu2ddxn68kqstj6y3 op_cert: \x8c799eae6aaab35fa6e27daed80963ec4fda0c9f9abc0504adeb749479afef3a op_cert_counter: 2