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 5209638 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19085157 epoch_slot_no: 336357 block_no: 5209461 slot_leader_id: 4571982 size: 7462 time: 2021-01-14 19:10:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x31f81193b9a20715548fcc5863490f2bfea2283873956af6f557d341d9927396Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk102gh7cnr5hnu3jmafakj33q40rk09sjnhy3w2zj2zn742kz2trpq0v5p0u op_cert: \x16fad0a413ea32cecabea6d67deee0aff60cd68276582fde5a72d98cad1b74b8 op_cert_counter: 5