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 5244208 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19780838 epoch_slot_no: 168038 block_no: 5244031 slot_leader_id: 5151038 size: 2848 time: 2021-01-22 20:25:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x29174f868771c34463d60155cbcdb98804951a9b51531cf9149ef5b5b508ce3bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nl3vewgymva5mly6hwrg6xgek9c9yx8hxqv7gzcd00jkg32hutzs3ymh96 op_cert: \x39d2cbbbe321a071ca6cf2cb4d45c4dffaec05fc0394d029e62283a21ad9c3e7 op_cert_counter: 3