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 5243902 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19774836 epoch_slot_no: 162036 block_no: 5243725 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 4016 time: 2021-01-22 18:45:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x78ab17d41cf046daf91e76a764ae8bb3020d844e1b1fdcb2286de2cb2e0ee2a8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x96dc40ed90893b17e26cb54de7c528f7a48efd0accee04ff9bdea194d7fd0ff2 op_cert_counter: 0