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 5234462 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19586368 epoch_slot_no: 405568 block_no: 5234285 slot_leader_id: 4557674 size: 7976 time: 2021-01-20 14:24:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26cb30e61f7bff92b5d394ba7ff15fe9b402f5c81cd9a1af331d306d93772d8aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1da3263cgw8qypes8yhd3uj34p6n4yf9wqaa5nlf2gwura3jpeumsyaeppa op_cert: \x5c8adcd0911bc21e1fd3313b12c3210183dc34405110188953fd57abba992fe8 op_cert_counter: 4