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 5236217 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19621126 epoch_slot_no: 8326 block_no: 5236040 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 3697 time: 2021-01-21 00:03:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb2c6e4158dd0eddf275e8d27e77994bc1008530f60bed9daa5b36d7fbeddd76dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \xcc8be52b9848551eb77e7643f69b11926bebda3a0a03a7a923913ceed8eb72ec op_cert_counter: 0