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 5239676 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19690280 epoch_slot_no: 77480 block_no: 5239499 slot_leader_id: 4571562 size: 2271 time: 2021-01-21 19:16:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73c73543d96d4dfbdda101d435a1b7210671dea1a47d8c9dd0e2d2812c48e018Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13ups5fzgat8uddsffmmp69zfyrecllr000ycgscsrce5xsvgzn2s55ek4q op_cert: \xf44c9cec41426b78248ba2f44be86d35bcf2cafbb27892ea1d323793eeec52eb op_cert_counter: 3