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 5317318 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 21252860 epoch_slot_no: 344060 block_no: 5317141 slot_leader_id: 4982193 size: 4382 time: 2021-02-08 21:19:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9436bbd023488fcfb6b7473280abd2acc2488a9626dce1aedff17012dadf181aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mnjzvlsemnhnufd47g49cwsq7cgy8z657p0wre3gm6hl4gz6zcasw457zz op_cert: \xaf952de01c7e4e08a118671731f24065ba50a7124dc5b76ab20fff0d042392a9 op_cert_counter: 2