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 5196553 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 18822549 epoch_slot_no: 73749 block_no: 5196376 slot_leader_id: 5065563 size: 19623 time: 2021-01-11 18:14:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd79b00ee6f7e260ccec9991d3d70ddd72f9b250f8eb61bc9da88cd96b7edf9d4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lycttp5zrt79d2jz4nay0z2ku70rw4zpe0dlvrw3y53n63rw454s954w0d op_cert: \x30d9dbd6e353ffb2282aa38ee126ccc1f10f7f5b225cb9c9a71ac6229305e1fe op_cert_counter: 1