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 5238621 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19668597 epoch_slot_no: 55797 block_no: 5238444 slot_leader_id: 4571822 size: 661 time: 2021-01-21 13:14:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x33ada186bcdf04931ab59cabf255231241785615644e4b9b28a2d57666ee0e6dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8nxdxurzxp4ug6t489796wukth5f7wfu6l4m85cznha923ekllq0wct2e op_cert: \xf87b3afa9e18b8863e294653f8662dfe47b19ddbfec24e68b7b773b76a044132 op_cert_counter: 2