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 5246895 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19834790 epoch_slot_no: 221990 block_no: 5246718 slot_leader_id: 4578630 size: 1971 time: 2021-01-23 11:24:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf93dd3b00d6c9b435240834213bb8256d6bb674455e39d684bbd36919398b85dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hzpd45jx93qdns9hvcmkuhd227vhn9q4devgpnskmxtlnel3mgpsgwzmkj op_cert: \xb67b86081348f5bcf2524f1aea87d23539b05e065bf3b4281da821033d586633 op_cert_counter: 2