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 5221370 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19323489 epoch_slot_no: 142689 block_no: 5221193 slot_leader_id: 4943882 size: 6736 time: 2021-01-17 13:23:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7f719093e609508b096be59b02f0787105c154d12a0eb7991cce5aaf884f223dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ytunls0jtlwj52v26a2m79av25tjdhv3uc4lgllsxqwd7ynqjeyqez82j2 op_cert: \xa03ce9745998f5140103d3058aee83d4cbc3dcb5ad33c1e4c809a63910ce2fb2 op_cert_counter: 1