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 5231260 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19521852 epoch_slot_no: 341052 block_no: 5231083 slot_leader_id: 5089441 size: 3626 time: 2021-01-19 20:29:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ceefe7554f39336542b83fdfc7db5b34d7ed34e3b2acb8e27803f21526bed83Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fadj4r30tztu6sudjcyrsmf234uracr4sd38znd6xw8nqj8shf2qftp0mh op_cert: \x313a2acdb25e7e6bf093953cfc4134a8774ce348b29e930cbba8d20503d2d4f3 op_cert_counter: 1