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 5696340 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 29009811 epoch_slot_no: 325011 block_no: 5696163 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 19357 time: 2021-05-09 16:01:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa51fb89201342cee65e8d1b9a038128769fb69c36a39f39b8c7e571bae0af78bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \x138c5ef25af793233bee634fbfb5d0e2d3beb135c5850215a87c15ebad544054 op_cert_counter: 5