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 5217149 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 19237502 epoch_slot_no: 56702 block_no: 5216972 slot_leader_id: 4938854 size: 5100 time: 2021-01-16 13:29:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x834369ff252893e3bc12b03cc434bfc36269392491b934c26564f6864b4bab86Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x68767a6pgmp9fyw9l9w2tlkufqkau0k9uqux6gzdxz3pn7ltlgqq7739p op_cert: \x56579eadbc284239d3259984c24af70aab26a50849fc0e001d5759342175e24b op_cert_counter: 0