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 5238918 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19674687 epoch_slot_no: 61887 block_no: 5238741 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 1147 time: 2021-01-21 14:56:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x97c0ffe2bab2b89f2275a8b93d101aa573199788443177886034a17ab9b5af16Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \xc6f26b15a45d6ed1b147daeb881167e52c11a4f0f2409398bfa56fc3b8dc5662 op_cert_counter: 1