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 5226997 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19436387 epoch_slot_no: 255587 block_no: 5226820 slot_leader_id: 4736553 size: 691 time: 2021-01-18 20:44:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2bf996e04bd576207f95cfbc14ee307ba645b8cfb86559078be7d4fdcc62c3f8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vzzngklkz56jwr4vgl9vxny3gkjkkevcns2cwqhhff35k26klm5qez5c3q op_cert: \x8e8035b12475a85351b67c737d1d679f05c2c8c74b693bf9eef218d0e985e0c2 op_cert_counter: 3