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 5242979 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 19756318 epoch_slot_no: 143518 block_no: 5242802 slot_leader_id: 4555843 size: 5769 time: 2021-01-22 13:36:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x42dec0e939ebbad116446a24602af0cb29c8bab90aac174f1676511a2bd3845eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m30knv6sdact0jva87yqstj64dl4udz07zksjr4zd8s77sza6f3qfxsn07 op_cert: \x60f501583b6e1d5819f6d8749b8337eafd02d86f990d8e453c8aa2aad96c0c89 op_cert_counter: 2