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 5243258 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 19762049 epoch_slot_no: 149249 block_no: 5243081 slot_leader_id: 5086735 size: 5407 time: 2021-01-22 15:12:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa11034985e1eb12007d1a9a4e80d2b1aeb64e2aa21d54605f706908afb585f46Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xxu3xsjr56lrr6lj656xw2e8r9rckwxjpxg6gaetq7cnvpn89r0qryw4tz op_cert: \x53571a2cb7d41b8516457c2772651329e5da441473ae76a46ec10409c17f13eb op_cert_counter: 1