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 5245246 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19801366 epoch_slot_no: 188566 block_no: 5245069 slot_leader_id: 5217078 size: 721 time: 2021-01-23 02:07:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a5c2ead2e86c702660eaa94ece5fd0ed21390981f3fc4480643801b7ee54591Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s5l88n9pk08gslrgnr304marc9tu59karqnpdzpc4nnnyfvpqalsez8rcr op_cert: \x2bb90b2b57c05afb14b34b75e65715f4c55ccb0baecda63e78d2b211fd5619af op_cert_counter: 1