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 5218456 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 19263797 epoch_slot_no: 82997 block_no: 5218279 slot_leader_id: 4646548 size: 6066 time: 2021-01-16 20:48:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1f4d8eb4bbb16d81095bf9778bc2904d7e305c34a1c0a27f7a3d718aae77edd3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxlu5vrfkcnlg965j42egkv797g3up57argyta0xavucm7z7hvus0x0cgg op_cert: \x50b09de08e5b3a0cf793c19e793c8ab6ad8cf2939ce687cbd2d5488868462c54 op_cert_counter: 1