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 5218254 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19259847 epoch_slot_no: 79047 block_no: 5218077 slot_leader_id: 5046163 size: 7614 time: 2021-01-16 19:42:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x547a07c25036ff49c7ef5d00936ec1dd568ffc99fdd2e96fdce2f02c014b057aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g9vacdgpq6faj0xmntfvnn4mwsggkypq4z5m7mjc5zv3y930uydslnxawz op_cert: \x2a5b04243f95b006948cdf041fb95e94a5f216722fcf02f335ace62ffe6e0d3a op_cert_counter: 1