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 5214248 Details
Epoch: 241 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 19178166 epoch_slot_no: 429366 block_no: 5214071 slot_leader_id: 4575720 size: 9155 time: 2021-01-15 21:00:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x89abca909853aa0c393444f7d5d707b9bd96ed9dd5ff45a66f46bf3a08e22aa5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r0t7y0wps9l5fxza3ufx3kft6pgs7svqunzlqjsfc2dcqtls944skzln9y op_cert: \x711bf9074551d2cc9a3152b52602c7186e3e7819b68b7050030c923bc661bc1a op_cert_counter: 2