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 5217047 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19235494 epoch_slot_no: 54694 block_no: 5216870 slot_leader_id: 4938682 size: 2545 time: 2021-01-16 12:56:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x029bc9f42bb91f2b91f23e1b1c2e8f8307ae79d0fd7c8aeb6a176fcdf01e994eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1df8a8lr4ha0tlq04727jqastncnfly6sw3ks38afd0mlxp5pzdzsqds5xr op_cert: \x068ec80efbe12237420446c5c445bfd59c019b156eecad5054d6feaea444591f op_cert_counter: 0