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 5996042 Details
Epoch: 278 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 35048932 epoch_slot_no: 316132 block_no: 5995865 slot_leader_id: 5164785 size: 7584 time: 2021-07-18 13:33:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x178c4486f6a634ef6dcee23b20eb4b6b33119602a230e7ae815e74cdc0b755a1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk126m56rnv5pkp90fwv4laa742mg3x72vgg86glgc032uj6z90632s6nwm04 op_cert: \x8947f224fbab3ceeca05501989962df39a23131d86b0991d00b106b93db5a204 op_cert_counter: 8