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 5231421 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19525167 epoch_slot_no: 344367 block_no: 5231244 slot_leader_id: 5089566 size: 7495 time: 2021-01-19 21:24:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99ab1d277cc859199e009a842282f3e239f2c316556573316812c9b08de2f88bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tj359qd82tmr9rhrj54u67aag4hxrq2ddhkxwglzzgrt6d25v5mqyktmlx op_cert: \x9a48f3c839af0f964e40a3967763990a1017f447cbfabe5762ea432acf4b2808 op_cert_counter: 1