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 5240731 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19711716 epoch_slot_no: 98916 block_no: 5240554 slot_leader_id: 4615400 size: 629 time: 2021-01-22 01:13:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x13b8b9d51855a65f80c8b7a5817bd0e67b1998d86c4ce76c6997e49d036039fdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19hf340cs0q2sf4caukfm4tjqrxyfxaruxlh39yvtjxyzpyr0avlqvzu8gy op_cert: \x885356ecd55963e0c715633c07309e411fb4539731bb05ebff2a0a0da9783f9b op_cert_counter: 2