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 5244455 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 19785351 epoch_slot_no: 172551 block_no: 5244278 slot_leader_id: 4558699 size: 1582 time: 2021-01-22 21:40:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbfc19113be37dd645ee1075975a85972632ecb6877067a89674be65ed8de1eacBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk175uwr938t2t7tru94pd0yflmpl7y32p8vf78ytq2rldna2lqmlksu4y5dk op_cert: \x248c23b3c92e02da98ec0aa11d987f3abc016dab899ad4c75c0ccf8d4ab81f17 op_cert_counter: 3