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 5243437 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19765624 epoch_slot_no: 152824 block_no: 5243260 slot_leader_id: 4682991 size: 605 time: 2021-01-22 16:11:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6aca38c1d1467ac757da52d22e4007e03ae0a5dbb69ee485c8b516eef5ebff50Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fjc7uharrdrkgfh8ez4ueymglhkmvf9ajtwwsvhhxf7vsvdztk3qkh2l3v op_cert: \xdb4218aed39b6b697a57e1679c4aa5fceada81403f6a0d1e47a11c20305817bc op_cert_counter: 1