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 5221156 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19319088 epoch_slot_no: 138288 block_no: 5220979 slot_leader_id: 4556815 size: 592 time: 2021-01-17 12:09:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x838b0518082b89eb68a3ce0e8850ab4efa19e25a5a6435153f71ecccc5e9a1efBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168pda4ujuefar4vuqla3xtlec078hw8cc9fv2shrtwankda0s5fsje4hhk op_cert: \x6324fecbe022695a2eaf09fac34bd91d8a82944816a6ff860d6b9095feeed9f0 op_cert_counter: 2