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 5238348 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19663169 epoch_slot_no: 50369 block_no: 5238171 slot_leader_id: 4618033 size: 1919 time: 2021-01-21 11:44:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x53ad431e448333b8e4bc0ffdb9e331716e96ef77bfc46c34335789cdcc5fe51cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1smfppegkvk7adfrsjj87r3y656p9c359vd25pzmneyelk6wpgg3srxfzug op_cert: \x85b18b9e29e536ad2d3e9d36688dd485976555429554616b04657d12a3d46235 op_cert_counter: 2