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 5245602 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19808852 epoch_slot_no: 196052 block_no: 5245425 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 3327 time: 2021-01-23 04:12:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x358a2e794f655a18d7307cd5f77bc2ca429ce746653746d299a1597964b5de4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x630841ef8196768255eb8372e41166d4d58c28475ba459e3c6c3599c910c50f6 op_cert_counter: 3