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 5230996 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19516459 epoch_slot_no: 335659 block_no: 5230819 slot_leader_id: 4686191 size: 3783 time: 2021-01-19 18:59:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x75625d13b79f05c5e679ea9fa727c78a67a0641bbfe02e6e8f3988d7f8444169Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnrd8kshdkq9uglrelg0c6xam3rvqepa0cjcudc5z53fvqefwm2sfd0qam op_cert: \x0787d06408f5970a95491df63be376a35db0ea42c232d5bb7fd1209c9108c0f4 op_cert_counter: 1