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 5309249 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 21088306 epoch_slot_no: 179506 block_no: 5309072 slot_leader_id: 4578791 size: 7107 time: 2021-02-06 23:36:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb31b2b648966bcdc560562e4a05bcdb09dc078eb9e8522403cc25ada95ed60aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12znkwvpp8kvjvqj6g6aynch77eyawm0xv7jranp8f24vmuznlqgqqnsgsq op_cert: \x853ac384b5ad5c64d84cbb9a8ae28b150e784b8d33e25a566edc7727127870b0 op_cert_counter: 3