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 5742286 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 29939338 epoch_slot_no: 390538 block_no: 5742109 slot_leader_id: 5355092 size: 2810 time: 2021-05-20 10:13:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xce4efca6ba2809317ce73290ced8a55232a0bfaf50506cd60e7b242cbc10023aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ankshstfu8yml8xrsrmsf4qzvtrfwmnles5zqnerwzlnxzwt602sl5qvms op_cert: \x6d8183ceb097ea6c8da5e356f6fc395b533263ec587dd92982a9ebf7d4d28f68 op_cert_counter: 2