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 5242347 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19744094 epoch_slot_no: 131294 block_no: 5242170 slot_leader_id: 4556470 size: 1943 time: 2021-01-22 10:13:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9486b122d22c696a0d1af16ea3e946ad4a8023f03d64f2c90325b9b8f8bbf27aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rluj3m4ag2h9clcedrkgwj56nacxwtnlf5h7qza8nwjeqenfee0qwqjsmj op_cert: \x3137f544308555ea6645cf1097a9eb81b63736957e71f949dbfb84ed992a2e31 op_cert_counter: 3