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 5218672 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19268381 epoch_slot_no: 87581 block_no: 5218495 slot_leader_id: 4773451 size: 3285 time: 2021-01-16 22:04:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4656836e3fd13bf0398052bf98287e0ce4c5ff62bd67a032966b4f4773cb1f3eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v906pdj4kf7drq0hd0l960wn8kkf4339wsvr28e2g22lag3q2mrsr49yfx op_cert: \x77b86a765846f4e13c62142ca48d5901a13e85b85b2163355c062010ae2a134d op_cert_counter: 1