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 5204674 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18986136 epoch_slot_no: 237336 block_no: 5204497 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 656 time: 2021-01-13 15:40:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x17aacb572137dc62bf3c59475db557dba03c922d64b1667a45fe957e19ac746bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \xaaebf2a7422fa8e81913e197cae3f1a943c2d9783e74ee983779b42779655a6b op_cert_counter: 1