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 5244086 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19778359 epoch_slot_no: 165559 block_no: 5243909 slot_leader_id: 4571982 size: 1877 time: 2021-01-22 19:44:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbf1f31635425273842fca14202e49d1172717cd1cc6b27d8b81aa74439dd898aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk102gh7cnr5hnu3jmafakj33q40rk09sjnhy3w2zj2zn742kz2trpq0v5p0u op_cert: \xf43907a41aaaaf2799e9c5d6f6fe5e8fbcaabe3837c84d80885b125489952ef2 op_cert_counter: 6