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 5242312 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 19743356 epoch_slot_no: 130556 block_no: 5242135 slot_leader_id: 5005968 size: 13973 time: 2021-01-22 10:00:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5db645c53d62cc32e5e531101a177cf3c79aca6e0d45db70d523a5b1b4a4905bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19kgvazgrvr9gstsk2qn0vz0hc9x8yn3lqdymzgztm92qk6r4q9asksen0h op_cert: \x05e99b46b7cda296e4d73bbdb2dbdaab61c2a53d6529c953126afd9e45c0b4b2 op_cert_counter: 1