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 5097609 Details
Epoch: 236 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 16816682 epoch_slot_no: 227882 block_no: 5097432 slot_leader_id: 5086771 size: 3492 time: 2020-12-19 13:02:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3979e72462dff6127e64d027bfedcf23aec4509734374b98b2b5220f99adcef6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cl9rgfhgwwr7tngxcpew748w7zxdeynrp0ge2hqag8cype72guzs2k2d28 op_cert: \x0cc8e929643a77f056726e3944d25e23a2987e338f6c56a08b07070f8d64b234 op_cert_counter: 1