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 5239813 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 19692931 epoch_slot_no: 80131 block_no: 5239636 slot_leader_id: 4556690 size: 18955 time: 2021-01-21 20:00:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaf402bf147dee319b84c5e22886203caa0f5dcc2ceeb236756c67a482cfbfc18Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1j78vqh6g4ewcwlumwawamtdcrmjsam3twycdw6k2a8pefcl3cvtsx90rwl op_cert: \x36231d8534a201008bb917f437255cbe227c7a0fe692890e4814a39c02378bbd op_cert_counter: 2