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 5217616 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19247172 epoch_slot_no: 66372 block_no: 5217439 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 815 time: 2021-01-16 16:11:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x245c40452230aa528afd8bc86ff6517a327b6c62327da584c725d1552eeb180fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \xec55c234fb18e63c7a514a2606b62736b0b99b0d75d31b7a700ac5675c31c0e6 op_cert_counter: 2