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 5245226 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19801063 epoch_slot_no: 188263 block_no: 5245049 slot_leader_id: 4556991 size: 2644 time: 2021-01-23 02:02:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1f3160bd43ecd2d2bb11be29a6580360fdee1dadece14cf1ea4ceba066d0ebbdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1584khwt0v7ypy22kp3qj53llel7tmjh00hay8xyx7en5wwnyr49suwrcyj op_cert: \x2cd87d2b3357d63fea3720b3905c0a65639616ae871d5ce2bdc104e7dd5eaba2 op_cert_counter: 2