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 5197517 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18842586 epoch_slot_no: 93786 block_no: 5197340 slot_leader_id: 5026921 size: 4952 time: 2021-01-11 23:47:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef523600d04ebcfcaf01101fb820885833b8b5decff57255144c1c9153dffcc7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vhuhnklefgj9xaw20kz2786anlqk3gy9ws0se5d85kx8x43z5ylqzvw79d op_cert: \x3fc1d8714b82c3c75f9a3d5b56f22dda337d6825b8583e5b10524a6fdb39a5a0 op_cert_counter: 1