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 5243839 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19773847 epoch_slot_no: 161047 block_no: 5243662 slot_leader_id: 5086773 size: 1758 time: 2021-01-22 18:28:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xda4bd9cc72bad6862624ddfa9cb3674ab1d469b86a1a03539865575c43b29011Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18lq2a0wkm7x6s77l2jshrysjd0lerljvyd8hsyc8e4q47gm87cush00zmz op_cert: \x4d428f3ea8e3e196c274469c13e56dc9b163e3fb0b7ee588cfb0496b4b3f5787 op_cert_counter: 1