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 5239642 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 19689718 epoch_slot_no: 76918 block_no: 5239465 slot_leader_id: 5089441 size: 2990 time: 2021-01-21 19:06:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x041206b6713fc66e5cea593af9d0b5fc2625dfc5dd4712b77914205b40c5bc6fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fadj4r30tztu6sudjcyrsmf234uracr4sd38znd6xw8nqj8shf2qftp0mh op_cert: \x313a2acdb25e7e6bf093953cfc4134a8774ce348b29e930cbba8d20503d2d4f3 op_cert_counter: 1