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 5238886 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19674130 epoch_slot_no: 61330 block_no: 5238709 slot_leader_id: 5086771 size: 9033 time: 2021-01-21 14:47:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbf90476680d9f7a3747326f9249dbd5bb68f57a5713f9d5e4966d9bfd7372c0eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cl9rgfhgwwr7tngxcpew748w7zxdeynrp0ge2hqag8cype72guzs2k2d28 op_cert: \x0cc8e929643a77f056726e3944d25e23a2987e338f6c56a08b07070f8d64b234 op_cert_counter: 1