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 5697531 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 29034172 epoch_slot_no: 349372 block_no: 5697354 slot_leader_id: 4615785 size: 5099 time: 2021-05-09 22:47:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9a8af58323e81499af18e917b92fc5c3e03526b54b8655445b423449bd1a879eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fztveanyz6zvwpc6zmcce5fe55r3uxagql9ejrmdhwcxw73d6w7q3062ks op_cert: \xd55f509a6fa11902316721beb8e3b852f5d9d178afe3c21275d2de3ee93e02d6 op_cert_counter: 11