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 5228488 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19466058 epoch_slot_no: 285258 block_no: 5228311 slot_leader_id: 4735070 size: 3063 time: 2021-01-19 04:59:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x406790b4caf6cb86d6eb9f3fd343688a4a1e38d6ae5b592a08ec9185eeed262aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10fk6ssejw4l02p5kytuk56glx7gkprs5msllhfh57vy2ltsrcj0sq8pw6r op_cert: \xc1e4312ea5d2db4663ef821e5ea653fc44c07dc63875c387b4d563a5deaaef86 op_cert_counter: 2