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 5223138 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19359417 epoch_slot_no: 178617 block_no: 5222961 slot_leader_id: 5066676 size: 1348 time: 2021-01-17 23:21:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0aab53e3f67b8c2cec0136a6b36be03ab130c06443dafb48c7aa6f0b13ec337aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tn22sa0azvtls9m2jyxxwpw0mjqrprgrrjdrlf43hs45kn2ky9rqv2384z op_cert: \x9d0d3abaefdf5a2ccad0832a80759b8f8eb3c0629e9dc8bda3d44ebf658ab976 op_cert_counter: 1