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 5742532 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 29944666 epoch_slot_no: 395866 block_no: 5742355 slot_leader_id: 4686191 size: 10059 time: 2021-05-20 11:42:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xab8635cbf866549a5eb4efcfbb5ff0dddb3b723fe65888c504a9a48d1b67cef6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnrd8kshdkq9uglrelg0c6xam3rvqepa0cjcudc5z53fvqefwm2sfd0qam op_cert: \x042966395328c38f198daa1d85419f7a16c0ab441e126fc771099faccaa00aff op_cert_counter: 3