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 5197498 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18842237 epoch_slot_no: 93437 block_no: 5197321 slot_leader_id: 4490691 size: 11412 time: 2021-01-11 23:42:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x44bb6fa647acc1fac1b588c88b6b4305a0ccc113c8200da45ae9f3553e37ef3cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8d5uguzjzvmnwpu7cfx0x3eq4umsmqkdqk4m0w4ftsk07h9e99sxnsyzn op_cert: \xc2ba43457ef711a4dad9c19a540014dedfdaa27d13773857524a631613b42029 op_cert_counter: 1