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 5248399 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19865487 epoch_slot_no: 252687 block_no: 5248222 slot_leader_id: 5087110 size: 4765 time: 2021-01-23 19:56:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3dad2a0ceece7914d9f3e95c33811830481871f808bcdea4b90f70b1a7db457dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cupe2qzylwyuwu53mgudk4ts668lp0ggcdcxz58tm6psa2k8e7kqxzkggt op_cert: \xd7b87759d9f566a8fa1915193d10f38de18f1640b1acf381a55676bc9e04c4d6 op_cert_counter: 1