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 5271686 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 20333025 epoch_slot_no: 288225 block_no: 5271509 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 8215 time: 2021-01-29 05:48:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa9cc287ffaa07868912ea3be65c22d9d440f2a5356d046de4f1428bfe32dc2cbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xebd440a58904475277f0cffa6ada4171be3818ac0219c6ca0a7e38a6449a4596 op_cert_counter: 3