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 5234303 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19583429 epoch_slot_no: 402629 block_no: 5234126 slot_leader_id: 4556040 size: 1778 time: 2021-01-20 13:35:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1d20d3db8897fbde67b67e8feb4c2f5011f5b85ac02f08b8d9626df69fcc96dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gqaa096k065qnvs4cr70x805krg9cdy7emp84y2nm7rmrj2r8vzsk5kl09 op_cert: \x67aac1a8b74ad418849eae385458061eedfad7e06a1d95221f1b70bd5727ffa7 op_cert_counter: 2