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 5231546 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19527889 epoch_slot_no: 347089 block_no: 5231369 slot_leader_id: 4900604 size: 5964 time: 2021-01-19 22:09:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x93696f3f026afa9dfda8233d70907b36e43ecd2a9b01e2d1913367a5166fbd45Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1swhgqekh4mplz5dn87cqzm6t9hwrat9n4vreq4jw8g48dtsw8n5q7ky7xm op_cert: \x187079715bb776abb8835e8b9fef724d1166878413ad3cbf92845cd6c546f44b op_cert_counter: 6