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 5242420 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19745624 epoch_slot_no: 132824 block_no: 5242243 slot_leader_id: 4560105 size: 6800 time: 2021-01-22 10:38:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca98cdcb556cb5b51baf8d9e9004d09485f2f602ba0c7123263455340e2e7bfdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxp8x97dg35jcw5y3n0xhfjm0w06lhu9qja77pej40hhl3a246msxfe0j3 op_cert: \x25efe6aa5a2933fc664e3806b3969dd15a8f34c109173ff0e099fdc6dfb95441 op_cert_counter: 5