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 5221654 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19329379 epoch_slot_no: 148579 block_no: 5221477 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 5007 time: 2021-01-17 15:01:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xccfc6043a182395036e8fa013f13e0f01c03875b13f7819d99f8f33668c416dbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x96dc40ed90893b17e26cb54de7c528f7a48efd0accee04ff9bdea194d7fd0ff2 op_cert_counter: 0