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 5221149 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 19318975 epoch_slot_no: 138175 block_no: 5220972 slot_leader_id: 4577075 size: 5139 time: 2021-01-17 12:07:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x61f433e8724813079dff7a7142dd2d1dcc5a0c3b8f87e5be4f878c56b4c9dc36Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g0u0sks02utexc0scc5ywlmr4jw2hw2dkgq69hhpg7drz4u38qssd0kn3w op_cert: \x8d7cec8fef8d51a855b9b3df3fdfa1ef9f3255dade403cafdbbcd7f353de8036 op_cert_counter: 4