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 5197249 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18837152 epoch_slot_no: 88352 block_no: 5197072 slot_leader_id: 5064224 size: 6446 time: 2021-01-11 22:17:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd1a6e8833f67f28368c79b3708623bc7dd9f5af095a47d29f3310af6f062efbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qzse359zxgg3gplrym0xpdvfzu33yrqjtyf0gss3axtcyh2n3w6q24vmfd op_cert: \xdbe87db5df471c23253a57979e884a4e0b268b04cc6e34dd0cf745f54c6340dd op_cert_counter: 1