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 5222257 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 19341701 epoch_slot_no: 160901 block_no: 5222080 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 5549 time: 2021-01-17 18:26:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b5d18459b24c72a695024a032545aac6a58fcbc8f3714845ad90d127b965135Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \xe877114bbf374d827eaad0278c1e0f58a8b586ad866d36edb2223f90ba4dcc87 op_cert_counter: 6