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 5218837 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19271717 epoch_slot_no: 90917 block_no: 5218660 slot_leader_id: 4659304 size: 8128 time: 2021-01-16 23:00:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfc5be109e50d4e5e30254c01cfddf2dfe77a2de218f6136b0a9b8098f1f4addfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10jerjqj47460jjs2engyfq0lqj0rad9fnnrvdk7q0emhz6rx9z2s89ht6k op_cert: \xd91936c319eeb817fab8b6b9358df01a0b9f0a906fd0231ea4cbc40f4f9ddee4 op_cert_counter: 6