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 5236245 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19621697 epoch_slot_no: 8897 block_no: 5236068 slot_leader_id: 4582780 size: 4376 time: 2021-01-21 00:13:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa8cbf601772ef97034de9fa90cb51d901e0eaa5131e6f1d35774042e90dc9b4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k0dgfy8s6qmesstftv2ahsl5t7cawpheuvlhwchw7chkegjc373q9anwlh op_cert: \x2fb2b385c62772faa863a439148ea8a4b9354e4afabbf02e644eba31bf07360a op_cert_counter: 4