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 5221657 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 19329491 epoch_slot_no: 148691 block_no: 5221480 slot_leader_id: 5074787 size: 5336 time: 2021-01-17 15:03:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3698be96daebead00fe983c771053d38f4ded83b8d16efaa75d34bb09913d6caBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk163f56ywss57yawlllrcwcamwtddsufkgr4nlzs969thvuauvn7tsr094e6 op_cert: \x7e60c6fc85f82088a2a7cdcfe4f5a24f17703d4076b124e9bfc0f7d6e55135f9 op_cert_counter: 1