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 5240627 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19709369 epoch_slot_no: 96569 block_no: 5240450 slot_leader_id: 4875135 size: 5736 time: 2021-01-22 00:34:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7ed5b4520b0fa821278c31e2181902f5e8fc1cd2aad6a2b82b9c7be31dbfa0eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w9canw0pskp3n7sh8ue8lz0ruzxza2fzacdduytded489qlnmswsw5g3ku op_cert: \x89533ff129316a74ab3837bcd11c880a791754788d828a573b52ac8f3a812ddd op_cert_counter: 4