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 5246677 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 19830363 epoch_slot_no: 217563 block_no: 5246500 slot_leader_id: 4642461 size: 3283 time: 2021-01-23 10:10:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5f8e809784a8ecb7095143dc4cce391ac1a39666e3fbd3f8f3e2d07b310eb04aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u54wa3nd8mm82g4c6vs3rawgkfzg4tchc7tlttcx2xjmep06vc0svd63zr op_cert: \x5ecf7c7fd5ad21bf84a8013a1bd65938e4a3144433e651a67b86b0abe40d6129 op_cert_counter: 2