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 5742442 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 29942684 epoch_slot_no: 393884 block_no: 5742265 slot_leader_id: 5086889 size: 5865 time: 2021-05-20 11:09:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7992a72e2cbc5a7c43505e2e642ade90f425f50afc88a6c5ad9b639d2ffcf53eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uelwdw7x8q27x333s9yjkfx2k8hay0y4w4nqt2g8v9vrlwh2v7nq084cs5 op_cert: \xdb26c5ad4d19e8f7ce3991bc671a971e597d2760cc10bd8c2746ac1eafa93376 op_cert_counter: 1