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 5216457 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19223591 epoch_slot_no: 42791 block_no: 5216280 slot_leader_id: 4557828 size: 4104 time: 2021-01-16 09:38:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6b0512777e46818847ce8e225e923ec18e26a3adf73c1ade517b3f06fceb8157Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dclzj33jzku2vkq80a8mg50m3hqcv728l9tcpx0yujq3sfvgvapqn9sdnd op_cert: \x2b9b288d5ed802c6fa9ea9667850aa0622f661b1ac15e82928702d5c6387c217 op_cert_counter: 1