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 5242709 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19751220 epoch_slot_no: 138420 block_no: 5242532 slot_leader_id: 4669641 size: 5662 time: 2021-01-22 12:11:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa2cfd38a5cd4a4242080a50e1de5dd466cdd8b8ee77aff35b15f974ddf24b6f2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1czlvqsyd4sh50qn29szl9z64420nxyy9l4sfclrgegjf8h4kxqesk2nxv5 op_cert: \x1609e576154d87358866c31c2c52e8036c812e40a8cd724956ed5179eff6e6c5 op_cert_counter: 2