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 5217636 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 19247529 epoch_slot_no: 66729 block_no: 5217459 slot_leader_id: 4600730 size: 9924 time: 2021-01-16 16:17:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd26c7b621c1dbe6d293706ed7d1b07bc6cfec273bfbfcb89fd1a5c398b502f23Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12eelsz6slyhcah9wlvj2p407a4gfx2d4xk30ncuh7krs7ffsgdhq8pcdpy op_cert: \x07f617d7f94950bf70759af7c87e8f277766a2da5ce421610c05397824b75c86 op_cert_counter: 6