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 5223578 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 19368448 epoch_slot_no: 187648 block_no: 5223401 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 9113 time: 2021-01-18 01:52:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d6a441f2664199b5272be785dc2cc69af1e614f25d0d9caa41ca0c45a386a26Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x26aa99052c03483024984e4b2f99d0972276f473487d62b5c594589534a007b8 op_cert_counter: 4