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 5243617 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19769201 epoch_slot_no: 156401 block_no: 5243440 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 9161 time: 2021-01-22 17:11:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x938b4fe2e1a88a903e250f0364612e3863513cb20021bdb6661ee05b65617262Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \xcc8be52b9848551eb77e7643f69b11926bebda3a0a03a7a923913ceed8eb72ec op_cert_counter: 0