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 5218720 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19269369 epoch_slot_no: 88569 block_no: 5218543 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 2660 time: 2021-01-16 22:21:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8572f8e4c0b80a051e4b36c83e646b559e67cd072ffdee633a0b1fb8c5fed0f4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \x9405590232583d335ac63477d86989b49ad7327fa37efb302bbcfe2d54b487d7 op_cert_counter: 3