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 5221712 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19330769 epoch_slot_no: 149969 block_no: 5221535 slot_leader_id: 5086724 size: 2450 time: 2021-01-17 15:24:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26ec11befdf85f121647b311d7e140ee78d991c18758f142a7b5ad338e25b9ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk186jq39pep95205pewyzpvl56p6k0jk2yegevxtn9f8cgkxhm0ecqtul4e5 op_cert: \x77073181c3bbef47030ff39bab1aba3df1a2bcf3c078f95d02bed528d36f2ed6 op_cert_counter: 1