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 5243493 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19766727 epoch_slot_no: 153927 block_no: 5243316 slot_leader_id: 4938777 size: 4720 time: 2021-01-22 16:30:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf6a9e8f8462f99421ad3bf6501190f732e77089b9dff904aa44e0e95be67dd70Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zvddmt5zx98a74pcthgva7zhmdy2sxchcvmm3he4lj29may4n62s6nvkt6 op_cert: \x0767265973cd056f01bdfde961b7f0e9b943cdad5e4362dd34513128335e0d7a op_cert_counter: 1