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 5243174 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19760286 epoch_slot_no: 147486 block_no: 5242997 slot_leader_id: 4577060 size: 339 time: 2021-01-22 14:42:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5c62f2f80d9e5e9ea7a79e3e6192b91d8b503b468306b1568fd55d1c95b7928cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13wxu6fz7ayhv9g5t6njsf58dzkcushala5nrdhvnln02n00pcepscqhu4j op_cert: \xb2eb6c2c29d8ac00ea0ad34ea315aafa9166261a55ec541f1d2b5dc0edff1892 op_cert_counter: 4