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 5217821 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19251281 epoch_slot_no: 70481 block_no: 5217644 slot_leader_id: 4563470 size: 5698 time: 2021-01-16 17:19:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x90201c1aa06f0a7b07cdf3981aa8ef5ba25db43c8f7d877a04d2e42c7ea45ddaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fmkjgjt7t50p49zn0gul8eca0kjuk6kgpc0k6ka2jk5ndq2znu2qh8n508 op_cert: \x346d89b702cd9f8c31d9c51eb017ab932c86d4c91f6114b4a40b9fc4c0ff69d9 op_cert_counter: 2