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 5097478 Details
Epoch: 236 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 16813952 epoch_slot_no: 225152 block_no: 5097301 slot_leader_id: 4579330 size: 896 time: 2020-12-19 12:17:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9f14a6f0407535301efdfed215fb51ba591c5199fd4c12c2b65600ab9898d95bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17hff333krucx82wjdhnwnfvusg8p4zn22lwmf2pmd2e5mghu52hqvpf8qj op_cert: \x3b14f088aa8309ed61b0b64b1210370d02a809d5ea573397a5cbdb78862a2447 op_cert_counter: 1