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 5243743 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 19772151 epoch_slot_no: 159351 block_no: 5243566 slot_leader_id: 5151014 size: 13817 time: 2021-01-22 18:00:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x59323cedf1b34666a71ecf0d8eb72335120eb0de06bd9e50a33d35860cbbbaf8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdyaecd6mh3ppupjmkdy285kaptkmxr2un7mzl7pwvsyz6cgvqgsq5l3gn op_cert: \xbd88a47a07ae60f6a11096bc8f5bedfec138a55d4aedfc9ac16cfc7b9081bcf5 op_cert_counter: 1