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 5271581 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 20330866 epoch_slot_no: 286066 block_no: 5271404 slot_leader_id: 4746643 size: 14544 time: 2021-01-29 05:12:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x879ece21799aab51fb12ff693d3043d560c3620f013d93ca4e3af3e6c9bde1baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mk6j3jjpufepqyy0x5yj0d8x972s6608z7g477pm6lrysc4dedqst3fqd0 op_cert: \xc923ef069b30ec59b997bdc8eebd1d565621639aa4e253a0f1a598239db0ccca op_cert_counter: 1