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 5240615 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19709063 epoch_slot_no: 96263 block_no: 5240438 slot_leader_id: 4576738 size: 9631 time: 2021-01-22 00:29:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46010ac2c2808b1f20a582932d8e1778f3d45d01bcdd387671a00e6cb31a8bedBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1acdu67ngtshdqk8tqy77zjq3l9eft3pvu7y4plpm6ta65n5yutvs975auu op_cert: \x5f2fd837a2a7f67cac779f93ae63812d3bfe409ec61f7e7548bcf86b533f57f7 op_cert_counter: 2