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 5215040 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19194575 epoch_slot_no: 13775 block_no: 5214863 slot_leader_id: 4686191 size: 4302 time: 2021-01-16 01:34:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x577bc265defc3a935a66339f978b50a1d029a2946f9d2ff3917adf47141b63c2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnrd8kshdkq9uglrelg0c6xam3rvqepa0cjcudc5z53fvqefwm2sfd0qam op_cert: \x0787d06408f5970a95491df63be376a35db0ea42c232d5bb7fd1209c9108c0f4 op_cert_counter: 1