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 5217494 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19244961 epoch_slot_no: 64161 block_no: 5217317 slot_leader_id: 4631411 size: 8404 time: 2021-01-16 15:34:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x773a62b6c90b28246e2ce58a51d5ce047c9a3f395769f48e999d7d8c6a541999Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1r2j5zazh5s8cml8lxxmtst0ug7ul8f3asqeru4av8k42jesxay0qlxzdct op_cert: \xc94b6138dea543efcc5a7493819965e6ec88ef6cf25d87e0179f46979ad88a0f op_cert_counter: 2