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 5222498 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19346777 epoch_slot_no: 165977 block_no: 5222321 slot_leader_id: 4887481 size: 3074 time: 2021-01-17 19:51:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x89d1929e69ad31a3eeddfe7619b688ad0cc7df1f7a39cdeff5b8a44d2745574aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dx2ktt40y8lemd4rscv0te96wgxqlyc2jgt8lysgu0vls2akyktqxqufuy op_cert: \xb9d26f1d59e03d5f5b36d9836c3ca650a7c295d255cb8827e72522385cbfd3d1 op_cert_counter: 17