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 5230853 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19513558 epoch_slot_no: 332758 block_no: 5230676 slot_leader_id: 4938964 size: 2612 time: 2021-01-19 18:10:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6ce808811ff3a2959b6962f5bd10d0029adeb3f276146e1dd43f59997a36295cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zh97f7rl0wnsdzclc5cjxlf8k2uptm2pl0tmnxfenf75vjafj7vqa5qhkk op_cert: \x98b50c0b2e5990c3899f40dc8177d02dbdb58ead1a95a6a5169cc94782e3ab3e op_cert_counter: 1