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 5244731 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19790861 epoch_slot_no: 178061 block_no: 5244554 slot_leader_id: 5063871 size: 406 time: 2021-01-22 23:12:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68f396c53a54f2c33f5b91ad06a6b90d2d00cd24f25319e4f9e001b2e0c8297fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mdxcjxdlm93490zkfta02ggty5ag6rdjjvqcyseft86jnh06ev3q3l2w70 op_cert: \x88cc9833a99ab0b7e7b0901702453478b87218e5eb3d9bc2ed93ad21d825f9b2 op_cert_counter: 0