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 5217420 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19243395 epoch_slot_no: 62595 block_no: 5217243 slot_leader_id: 4960121 size: 4964 time: 2021-01-16 15:08:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbe771b06c056788cba093dac84d30d1cd7f244ce8be6388e3abb45bcae1979eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cfgvfc8fxl43esu8evy9n6gj0nf48ve8464hsqy4t4c9e2qf3dqqx2976l op_cert: \x3ee52addc852c6ff8c5f871365e54af8488671b8d5a31bf23c6ec0dc4e216b18 op_cert_counter: 2