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 5286645 Details
Epoch: 245 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 20635630 epoch_slot_no: 158830 block_no: 5286468 slot_leader_id: 4890385 size: 8270 time: 2021-02-01 17:52:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd494fb1ba39db607d8abba3804fc4573881b98e82941c7f076e7a2443a8ba02fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12frc8fj46pctv2us4p0mrlv6m23n43c66g5etgm58gcnj5gfm2jsst2crz op_cert: \x56b192a5d2d8c871dc16b584e59a993ff10e405db81d1dc36f69aafe5203322c op_cert_counter: 1