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 5231345 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19523642 epoch_slot_no: 342842 block_no: 5231168 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 5689 time: 2021-01-19 20:58:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd20d4852dee7c95ca864f46a803cfc22baacc3c925fe67759b295088467ef4ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \x7ab4884c015f875b2178a76d695faeec740531d13f01b92ba86bce03bb5f3767 op_cert_counter: 3