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 5218705 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19269049 epoch_slot_no: 88249 block_no: 5218528 slot_leader_id: 5024150 size: 7972 time: 2021-01-16 22:15:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae8d9466ca96425828187377a0e5f7a74205902e95a76b3f43f9af240a5423c9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ck63f6q0wt7nwx2jzhhtzpvu73jr46wseq0jaf3c9jp38nzs64ss3ux39f op_cert: \xf9f9fa0336b9161880d6e64da2e0479d6e0fcfca6d31e42fc978885f66de2ca5 op_cert_counter: 0