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 5240368 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 19704351 epoch_slot_no: 91551 block_no: 5240191 slot_leader_id: 5087380 size: 7723 time: 2021-01-21 23:10:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe140ada67530ed74f0e7cfd5226cef98cebede4412f05f772611b751c79999aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj8urtu3pfk8nhqux53myxpw22yqjyyk3dh390d7hl599gq53psqd44xf op_cert: \x4480377f28409d192feeb0f825ee0ff420a0ad2265f9ee8a4ad839ce0dc78fd3 op_cert_counter: 1