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 5235657 Details
Epoch: 242 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19609969 epoch_slot_no: 429169 block_no: 5235480 slot_leader_id: 4930526 size: 3314 time: 2021-01-20 20:57:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf5aec5e66b50bd9b76ac7f509b9e2fccf932429664a860705f004a4f555dc82dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18gzp54qs3x6rwnr5m5lc8may8sqjdqazshxl5vky3282ax8fvq3qt3tp9t op_cert: \xfd81c3d3afa1251b416ec33081e5c0ffd91387934a3eb29a4212feeab98041a7 op_cert_counter: 2