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 5235857 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 19613772 epoch_slot_no: 972 block_no: 5235680 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 5531 time: 2021-01-20 22:01:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x295acb8088b4447298ee1321dbc51662ccd8c2561d97ae7f844f4758b17beb23Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \x8635fc66c4e2eca3b61d58fe65850cd06b00e3f1b29394662953320e0b5688b8 op_cert_counter: 0