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 5656686 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 28200462 epoch_slot_no: 379662 block_no: 5656509 slot_leader_id: 4560450 size: 2315 time: 2021-04-30 07:12:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb5cdf825d41ca750a9884f6b63c29805fe22fdc50062903942aaef9d5e8546f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sdzq7nyjfgrlg39xdda7ch84agcj92dcj59vvd0thc3azmhcnausr6ed5g op_cert: \xaf93401ff0bc90631de890df4f4b5ec26ff0d9574cf68ae467dec2029380aeeb op_cert_counter: 4