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 5196674 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 18824832 epoch_slot_no: 76032 block_no: 5196497 slot_leader_id: 4609504 size: 406 time: 2021-01-11 18:52:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd2fe69fd76daac8e02871326ad070dc56216fa4a35a603fe205f12729032ef8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1973re7lsj6va8q8ly4tpedu9hr9mc28wehfwvhqszd3u48kndatszu3d8w op_cert: \x8f3b91b7357d99ade17c08275e9bff374dd26f5e7147672cd1d1c525cd36140e op_cert_counter: 3