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 5197877 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18849816 epoch_slot_no: 101016 block_no: 5197700 slot_leader_id: 5086773 size: 1980 time: 2021-01-12 01:48:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe971e08df78c8ed58a49364e1dd0727c31fcd20e04af70bf2fec609d9e44c9e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18lq2a0wkm7x6s77l2jshrysjd0lerljvyd8hsyc8e4q47gm87cush00zmz op_cert: \x4d428f3ea8e3e196c274469c13e56dc9b163e3fb0b7ee588cfb0496b4b3f5787 op_cert_counter: 1