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 5742478 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 23 slot_no: 29943328 epoch_slot_no: 394528 block_no: 5742301 slot_leader_id: 4630714 size: 20400 time: 2021-05-20 11:20:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3fef5cf916b37c327316ca532ce54c82b576a57a6cfaa204706d1d0007e13a63Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z5frlx5466kaftn2lp3ejcv27t4q5v2c2nw23mg9dufkvwqa2ghsd8k55k op_cert: \x68f67b668c1bdb40104dbd9846f6761bc365f34705fef9f47768f86e8447b22d op_cert_counter: 5