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 5740597 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 29904819 epoch_slot_no: 356019 block_no: 5740420 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 5237 time: 2021-05-20 00:38:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbfc6655c7299fd3371ecd6919c2b54df5f6ce13d75f75525d9018c1f577a1f9cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \x34b31d010e0baa00cb7b99df6fbde971f9a7c3b8efcb2e8763cc953f953c5167 op_cert_counter: 5