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 5221077 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19317499 epoch_slot_no: 136699 block_no: 5220900 slot_leader_id: 4561295 size: 9259 time: 2021-01-17 11:43:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x809b541f8d8cdac2311b61a3a7650dcf326d4fd315212b54942a22519df5bdc8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1re6r46r8sj4hcafey4hkud02sev80jzsrw6l3j9mk2ee33qm736s07pvdh op_cert: \x04bb6553d185c04365988fab6e95f7601bf01c51c790b00c2a857189213e3f58 op_cert_counter: 3