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 5231629 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19529517 epoch_slot_no: 348717 block_no: 5231452 slot_leader_id: 4555889 size: 1971 time: 2021-01-19 22:36:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1a2b8e0b19607fd4e63b2b9d58788fc074f19ffa7d5b26cc0b9f3e018cf3036eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zphpt2jwqeya67nw98k4z9jamxljs9t0cpt56a80u5q6cddryyts5eehgf op_cert: \x0554a9ef74cf696a8a8ad62f283c8503d735553e72aff68b72a21b19b22f56d2 op_cert_counter: 3