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 5698138 Details
Epoch: 264 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 29046631 epoch_slot_no: 361831 block_no: 5697961 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 6989 time: 2021-05-10 02:15:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6ff110cb2ad3292ac198c667c2d3877f61f426df9452cf5a0e053df542cf2f7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \xd8720a5d56e933eec310719af716acb4cb5287c698317188dc621aaa3ac5b2db op_cert_counter: 5