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 5218726 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19269544 epoch_slot_no: 88744 block_no: 5218549 slot_leader_id: 4557476 size: 261 time: 2021-01-16 22:23:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc1db5ee51a5c4d12270b7000240ae4b1fe01c6874bd287df5824b1516d9cf1d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19azw8x7x4f0xqnmtwh3wfzj89m2scvvn7pvq7pn7tc5g3xgzc5psaxearg op_cert: \xfabe762be545c96ac8f7e50825031aa0a53e336c3dd2ccb63b1425293c837475 op_cert_counter: 2