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 5242543 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19747929 epoch_slot_no: 135129 block_no: 5242366 slot_leader_id: 4557189 size: 4603 time: 2021-01-22 11:17:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a1030b9d1c8f12c1185f9003b66806bb31ddd4414ec70aeb4314cecad8c072eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qf48fknn44vlet6puw0k4dar4kjcqmeuq4jnlcyfzhwuynrkxqfq6ed09f op_cert: \x14636bf9171e88b98d3754a0f320f83b5acfe19fd75ea6878085e14dfc94d9ab op_cert_counter: 3