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 5242746 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19751986 epoch_slot_no: 139186 block_no: 5242569 slot_leader_id: 4555390 size: 294 time: 2021-01-22 12:24:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf5e2a0e85023ee31bb1bd72931e924075f31a61a770e3939b05e9486a81dc1c0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vgtd8wucu5fd4fhr0mllw37c58yvhhqjxcnzv7xp7us5qez5xadsu7rshg op_cert: \x8069bfd77cd79d7d2f2ee84b16706040d92f9e02fe5575bfcabbe68794df2c46 op_cert_counter: 3