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 5240349 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19703937 epoch_slot_no: 91137 block_no: 5240172 slot_leader_id: 4689830 size: 2782 time: 2021-01-21 23:03:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb73273e01aaf0f739d79474b34ce58bcc7b8c11c33bdf48a71d4ac9b7daa01a8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pw52gwjshsr4tslssyx9ssk2fpv0ytrf20lj4uh2gfudx7jqp5tsj88p57 op_cert: \x9df0780e07ad4bcc445d86c137278b5ac45a4d947538a99361fa9bfe5ca8b51e op_cert_counter: 1