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 5217515 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19245388 epoch_slot_no: 64588 block_no: 5217338 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 7035 time: 2021-01-16 15:41:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa12e8a96c713df5114207fcfa86aea514833f012b3965945c1abc45aa30e26daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \x9ca998d942603e07ca89766ef666688c63bfdf7f373f69d513e04d3e8dbd3cae op_cert_counter: 1