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 5209071 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 19073717 epoch_slot_no: 324917 block_no: 5208894 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 10854 time: 2021-01-14 16:00:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x52d04ae7b631fb9cb692ff38a7ef2198088570e8479cd89f18cafa4584692fb5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x38b0dde516ec7d72608351a06483f498deffa03b78a2f3b6f8729b02fec4a37c op_cert_counter: 1