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 5226654 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19429782 epoch_slot_no: 248982 block_no: 5226477 slot_leader_id: 4982193 size: 5689 time: 2021-01-18 18:54:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74c96deaf6704c26178d8e2fa0e568124a5ff62b0f17b0fee9fc509b941b336eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mnjzvlsemnhnufd47g49cwsq7cgy8z657p0wre3gm6hl4gz6zcasw457zz op_cert: \xcb873b8c8304957c52b186ef0aa645e2aafc85993509900d66e0d79948a5f10e op_cert_counter: 1