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 6142498 Details
Epoch: 285 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 38008688 epoch_slot_no: 251888 block_no: 6142321 slot_leader_id: 5386322 size: 13074 time: 2021-08-21 19:42:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x564847c45cf8d3cbb40313adb8d8251ba6048f54d9e56676aa35f4be3f5b37e8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sk0zwdm0lu50432n7js628zwwj0ttqaa6luyuwf5dklgsmq4vn4scmvjxz op_cert: \x97df0be40439b05d44ff078b39c735fc29cada5d99ef55824d96dd8b37b4f411 op_cert_counter: 2