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 5317426 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 21254938 epoch_slot_no: 346138 block_no: 5317249 slot_leader_id: 4938685 size: 9464 time: 2021-02-08 21:53:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf3e14001eecfb88d143d692898b4aa2a78cd479dc9e100bca33b36a0c8cffba7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15je2et5hk9em5hem0z27an20n8dm2rmeawc53jrzasz92f5qmcwsv9necz op_cert: \x25bed77359d691196df30ac74db1ca0f88ea0ab17855dc28e7a33cd3991c13da op_cert_counter: 1