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 5245617 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 19809134 epoch_slot_no: 196334 block_no: 5245440 slot_leader_id: 5046163 size: 1008 time: 2021-01-23 04:17:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x89b51653b9e96b4bb711278d635752a7a3111c66b07e36fda92a8ecac87c47cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1g9vacdgpq6faj0xmntfvnn4mwsggkypq4z5m7mjc5zv3y930uydslnxawz op_cert: \x2a5b04243f95b006948cdf041fb95e94a5f216722fcf02f335ace62ffe6e0d3a op_cert_counter: 1