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 6142973 Details
Epoch: 285 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 38017918 epoch_slot_no: 261118 block_no: 6142796 slot_leader_id: 4900604 size: 9090 time: 2021-08-21 22:16:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1230682b0e8ffc264e1bbac3854ee218d72643eefac5ce41e0c89de69d0ad75Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swhgqekh4mplz5dn87cqzm6t9hwrat9n4vreq4jw8g48dtsw8n5q7ky7xm op_cert: \xddc176343f7117488c288a5dbba87ce7969d7e92c72c0c1bdcedb80df249e252 op_cert_counter: 12