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 5246834 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19833337 epoch_slot_no: 220537 block_no: 5246657 slot_leader_id: 5086880 size: 4633 time: 2021-01-23 11:00:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf9f94279b3cde34cda3d3b7b6baa3e2d0670c593e1d2423f11de56a65bad0b48Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a45jl5tg784kr53petcrk7yfse5tj8vqj7euu3pkata706tate4shnur4g op_cert: \x2498cdf484740e1d4969fb145b0624dd183ff184ef221d9172d46069d7c389b8 op_cert_counter: 1