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 5217657 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19247988 epoch_slot_no: 67188 block_no: 5217480 slot_leader_id: 4918062 size: 2462 time: 2021-01-16 16:24:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdf4cc9b66b8310e8ee09bc2dad8eb7fb2d01f3b731f69254f58d3eabf942546dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1y3yd96d8am03l8469x8v78kgv4s2arrr8q3zw3ksfvd7f0cnnhqst8zpep op_cert: \x686c0a4f2112fd45c92245ae28a4475bd58f63fe33b11d833033cc8c4da8aed9 op_cert_counter: 0