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 5236458 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19626012 epoch_slot_no: 13212 block_no: 5236281 slot_leader_id: 4599222 size: 704 time: 2021-01-21 01:25:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7a20172985a9f8ad38459b8b3d381a122902706c36744e081afc675fc1b0b72bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1keqw005yv7spajcs4nzzvke9fxvc4q6n45g3uzt07qt5fwq38wgssgrywl op_cert: \xf6731fa0b9c09e263460f960102779532432891a0940870e96deea89efbe1b06 op_cert_counter: 9