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 5240521 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19707013 epoch_slot_no: 94213 block_no: 5240344 slot_leader_id: 5023459 size: 7662 time: 2021-01-21 23:55:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8943ec2ffc274f61bb593bc159c7398b40b2f3bf3cd64077e0810c37a144b066Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1k5v8vk25xfezvtvc6a9kj9rnahkhuylwfm9k3ma6p0ukmh0wck6su7wl5c op_cert: \x4f474c56444a5365d16860515597ecab7fe8c1714d65fbef94081d2cc403a370 op_cert_counter: 0