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 5217143 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19237378 epoch_slot_no: 56578 block_no: 5216966 slot_leader_id: 5066106 size: 7447 time: 2021-01-16 13:27:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74622fc491848f197d309cf623c09594b8df8b44196473611f6ca59a14c5757bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1elldtg3lxzsc8e45vcuvkyek69jfv0ncy8xzpdvdls7c4ssp4lzskmm5vx op_cert: \x45e17585ef63a49143c8edab89c9127da0e6c8d1ea6d97c851b4674d118aff1c op_cert_counter: 4