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 5274491 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 20389127 epoch_slot_no: 344327 block_no: 5274314 slot_leader_id: 4938703 size: 5673 time: 2021-01-29 21:23:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f3f249cd27bf1ee2fdecf591768a1a51c3be3a8bdc046f35565debd7e8abc7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1l5ep7td55ptk98y02sf6nv9xldmhsx29qvcgsuajym9cqha47egqsseda9 op_cert: \x4aa286509fb1720756fafb3e0a42c2086e352d975f41c00c3ff514c6b3b6d3e5 op_cert_counter: 1