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 5688240 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 28844888 epoch_slot_no: 160088 block_no: 5688063 slot_leader_id: 5568326 size: 22525 time: 2021-05-07 18:12:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41a6a010b4d3f9a7d788be605fee79e8355bd278cacede2ec5c661540f5b359aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uyetyme67x7j50t2lqm6kzdxqapxy4exg9dznjnq63mcl7fa5a8q494gez op_cert: \x3467498e4a005a1e3e36af6df0b3b7b044df0d7f90f165d33212985d1c16a5d7 op_cert_counter: 1