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 5657406 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 28215851 epoch_slot_no: 395051 block_no: 5657229 slot_leader_id: 4556264 size: 14490 time: 2021-04-30 11:29:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ba48fbb070f9036c4dc050102d6f56d0b94fa83710cc58cfe6ced9980660f2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x8944k6j572wpdtz4tn3l9pam2ddhp6an35ma4ug9mr2rvqflz3shpaj36 op_cert: \x101c0ebf3d566d0a751ad017d913ff6b25e84575634f03b5f50205f42594c67f op_cert_counter: 4