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 5268495 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 20269774 epoch_slot_no: 224974 block_no: 5268318 slot_leader_id: 4556210 size: 11178 time: 2021-01-28 12:14:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x49663cbbaf9d3302d685fa5677a3decf381597594a1bff14e483bfab55aafc0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wf2k6lhujezqcfe00l6zetxpnmh9n6mwhpmhm0dvfh3fxgmdnrfqkms9ty op_cert: \x75ee211fa8de62451e80c684773f99c9777e2a7244859233b4b666fc77b8d560 op_cert_counter: 3