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 6142362 Details
Epoch: 285 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 38005882 epoch_slot_no: 249082 block_no: 6142185 slot_leader_id: 5688653 size: 2587 time: 2021-08-21 18:56:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81ff178a58114017a0005a555feb0e8463aeee2345177bf5c55ce8c03d4534aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1peft92ad7jhy2ev6pcvn7ma3l4x6nqjfmu4dj6aesryplapmfhlsr4w0km op_cert: \x79b00000c1e12e31092c8f3e50a298c4d05d5c3e4db90f4f33b3879c5aed4275 op_cert_counter: 1