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 5218406 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19262772 epoch_slot_no: 81972 block_no: 5218229 slot_leader_id: 5217078 size: 3544 time: 2021-01-16 20:31:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcedd231885c0ced33639905c5622ec51d472ab8ee8afd6d09e253f229e954a68Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s5l88n9pk08gslrgnr304marc9tu59karqnpdzpc4nnnyfvpqalsez8rcr op_cert: \x2bb90b2b57c05afb14b34b75e65715f4c55ccb0baecda63e78d2b211fd5619af op_cert_counter: 0