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 5248653 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 19870487 epoch_slot_no: 257687 block_no: 5248476 slot_leader_id: 4555943 size: 2649 time: 2021-01-23 21:19:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x990e68b00e95b21e81ed5522d7b43f7e69e3b80babe6b1e67ae62843cc5862c2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1s6l5znqnxvqv3skkedlfrgy5h88gj9mkemnp2qncr53ltc9ejwfql96pyt op_cert: \x22b03e00b4c3b97a5415118697cefaaa81830f1a0d081db7dd789ae55f44d0bf op_cert_counter: 1