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 5249345 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19884561 epoch_slot_no: 271761 block_no: 5249168 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 3933 time: 2021-01-24 01:14:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1ced88e3019799d0817ab77a84d6a05e91e77522522d5ce0219ca5b1cdbc5a5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \xaaebf2a7422fa8e81913e197cae3f1a943c2d9783e74ee983779b42779655a6b op_cert_counter: 1