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 5217574 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 19246437 epoch_slot_no: 65637 block_no: 5217397 slot_leader_id: 5151421 size: 8749 time: 2021-01-16 15:58:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8774cbe18025340f2b252a8e0fe8e1367906af28b9675d3e5359bf8240fad97aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk100zdufwaht2ljr704wccptxxa9qgdx64j3unl6sk4cql2l0uzxvq8zvclr op_cert: \x4ab23fba179f7da0fa1e6f5ae09a0ca5c328d4f832cad68960adc9f7127c5361 op_cert_counter: 0