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 5742306 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 29939858 epoch_slot_no: 391058 block_no: 5742129 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 1205 time: 2021-05-20 10:22:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x84edb1c2aa19340347cfef7ed9a45d0a656be1dc14d9861349e75057acc46c7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \x138c5ef25af793233bee634fbfb5d0e2d3beb135c5850215a87c15ebad544054 op_cert_counter: 5