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 5244640 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19789287 epoch_slot_no: 176487 block_no: 5244463 slot_leader_id: 4559083 size: 1910 time: 2021-01-22 22:46:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x176bf0453970ed1f27c60dff72fe690c1a70877fff6512770bbc6e21fd4f308dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkm2ddusu6fx76ag2cj44te7k5vjejqvq0hwcarfe5lkgdzt47ms4h9tp2 op_cert: \xa6ce54921ff39560b1d4087ed8329403d79c9de3b80bf3461bcda90165f1b5d1 op_cert_counter: 4