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 5218455 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 19263759 epoch_slot_no: 82959 block_no: 5218278 slot_leader_id: 4609503 size: 9253 time: 2021-01-16 20:47:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x24231df361f961b0e7bed61fed1ecb47554697005174a1028f5fa823296a7940Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14n7udujh4mljhelknpxmkupq9n64uzzvdstnuqfqslxy9h47fq3q2hnxsk op_cert: \x82fc80de027b73398f135be4f075b4d96d832a2bfbf6377bd9f03188ff9b23bc op_cert_counter: 2