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 5218222 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19259192 epoch_slot_no: 78392 block_no: 5218045 slot_leader_id: 4976099 size: 5574 time: 2021-01-16 19:31:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x53d4b62b8bb8978d4ab7f80425f5215b81d417be9b62ec42fab54a0645c7eeddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ps5z46r4mhf7k6c47wqmlstyh9zyrx655zmeczjew9n57um9qkjq9exv6l op_cert: \x3ba4a3560bf85e987d154a3fcdbcb139b4e2f166d02c4597879299ec60984047 op_cert_counter: 0