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 5742728 Details
Epoch: 266 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 29948773 epoch_slot_no: 399973 block_no: 5742551 slot_leader_id: 5086738 size: 22321 time: 2021-05-20 12:51:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb3b5cb43fdc6e217336bc473d482bb9179607dca516b51a91ae575adcf1ac405Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x36j64ka3hh068n2es8vz5vwsdlr9xuxwjsk68ed94g3v3q9ly9qm6qlqm op_cert: \xa8ac4daa550892a80449aa9349ecbe4508a8a5a281fcc8d1f3d3ac7832f43d76 op_cert_counter: 1