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 5243059 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19758044 epoch_slot_no: 145244 block_no: 5242882 slot_leader_id: 4555559 size: 3111 time: 2021-01-22 14:05:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xce401061f638f7f0dd3ee73c8a1fb47888de0c50734e9321e55342903f8423f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtjqjwqte7lj8h4z3hvyz7w97mnlgkj26mnhs79vlflus34u2txq3a5z6z op_cert: \x7711f9316df378a2e82ad57b7a25427de75b758544d531b32dc8c635367b6642 op_cert_counter: 3