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 5234194 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19581298 epoch_slot_no: 400498 block_no: 5234017 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 798 time: 2021-01-20 12:59:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f1c9ffd93d35e288c3d884001c38bf7d73bcefa53a3b5c3a67a056d0e9e77beBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x34f665635371e2d4829d93c3afb489ae587e215be5919b89944cb1d38394e9cc op_cert_counter: 2