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 5244708 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19790493 epoch_slot_no: 177693 block_no: 5244531 slot_leader_id: 4731801 size: 1647 time: 2021-01-22 23:06:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb199db797c2a30f670e39cbac17ca40ae28c029b254a3c9e85343f582584c9f1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wme2l30cnp46hvvyc68gqzzke0srfuwl7vld3s7usmp4cpvrcagq2hxlg0 op_cert: \x38b0dde516ec7d72608351a06483f498deffa03b78a2f3b6f8729b02fec4a37c op_cert_counter: 1