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 5238778 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19671901 epoch_slot_no: 59101 block_no: 5238601 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 4667 time: 2021-01-21 14:09:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x100812c72bf69b551f4a7c7f0430d59146aa80376479b9ae86552cbab4876d00Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xe31d9288ed479485daaca741885308282f35ab1107638d8b333c9622f2c50ca9 op_cert_counter: 2