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 5234117 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19579665 epoch_slot_no: 398865 block_no: 5233940 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 9001 time: 2021-01-20 12:32:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26320b444b9841b3d05aa8689e4f05162872d3db14a605c4479f1768621e285cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \xc06d2a8bd9f8402aa1654d239f4c24b20e6bf3577486c8216159c70b0be90aaf op_cert_counter: 4