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 5234217 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 19581728 epoch_slot_no: 400928 block_no: 5234040 slot_leader_id: 4744989 size: 11157 time: 2021-01-20 13:06:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7aad83f0e12878b170cff1ec3ea0df6127e85721e4e8d74190779a07108a1e0fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10rdmjvkgujx4vgwntvnzwq48n0wlrwunfy9sx8m393as07taspxqss860v op_cert: \x224129e413565830b4ec41d43861372fd23e337d4356f8942b3bd7945aee36f2 op_cert_counter: 1