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 5279705 Details
Epoch: 245 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 20494881 epoch_slot_no: 18081 block_no: 5279528 slot_leader_id: 4556631 size: 8066 time: 2021-01-31 02:46:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09f605777d45be3cca3a5c3bd4b94b14320a6fb7d2e381efc439df17fa0560d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mzf870y2x4nh8v6n2suzev53kyd2jnnnccfl5ylcl55zau5ean6s0rtl2d op_cert: \x39435e541ea5fb3c4f1cf704777048a5f6c1253b63733a4d84a7eef1f6322b25 op_cert_counter: 2