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 5242332 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19743765 epoch_slot_no: 130965 block_no: 5242155 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 3677 time: 2021-01-22 10:07:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x462f76ae552103bb9fe96e022e5ed2ca687858516a6497fc4c0b79634f95b2aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xe31d9288ed479485daaca741885308282f35ab1107638d8b333c9622f2c50ca9 op_cert_counter: 2