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 5234198 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19581384 epoch_slot_no: 400584 block_no: 5234021 slot_leader_id: 4560858 size: 5705 time: 2021-01-20 13:01:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5d3bad6e51536a88dd5695f9d8b5d55682c644bf7946e5ab43e5f873c5b14221Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mrwwxpf2pdsu4es46gu7rjy82fntc0538p8a7vuhrmu2ddxn68kqstj6y3 op_cert: \xe1205967f081ca9cda6557df2b100d54df1d03d5b6aa651d0b4b65bf360c61d7 op_cert_counter: 2