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 5236409 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19624972 epoch_slot_no: 12172 block_no: 5236232 slot_leader_id: 4564695 size: 2728 time: 2021-01-21 01:07:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x64aa79a661e65f7242937bb4e3706d7d34c86068f1d6c0f3eb3db3e2182851bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1et00e6ele7h9ddq4ku0y7l0nhtls6ahl70ann2zcteanz2aq2svqtsw3t2 op_cert: \x61671049e3aee406d671b63860650000a6f04a9c22b47b04358d702400f42b41 op_cert_counter: 3