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 5731697 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 29725468 epoch_slot_no: 176668 block_no: 5731520 slot_leader_id: 4962722 size: 6095 time: 2021-05-17 22:49:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x540a0a73bfd3c4845e1bd830458c5db34109d6f61eabc188229e8cd22cef6c1aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kacg7yqlp57wuxn80dsgzt8mhdkugqv783aqvkvtxggylel568rqy6cceh op_cert: \x0ef0de11ba692cbde1155e94b5509d890bbbe229ab3af957f55f69220fbbbd30 op_cert_counter: 3