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 5216574 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19225794 epoch_slot_no: 44994 block_no: 5216397 slot_leader_id: 4577075 size: 20613 time: 2021-01-16 10:14:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x171ea7653b67e6d3eb238a9ca8272be1c4f543dba8e93ea12aa252eabb65f74eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g0u0sks02utexc0scc5ywlmr4jw2hw2dkgq69hhpg7drz4u38qssd0kn3w op_cert: \x8d7cec8fef8d51a855b9b3df3fdfa1ef9f3255dade403cafdbbcd7f353de8036 op_cert_counter: 4