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 5317634 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 21258965 epoch_slot_no: 350165 block_no: 5317457 slot_leader_id: 4874722 size: 12374 time: 2021-02-08 23:00:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5f429d7fdd297af2388c6fa7ceff09a18ac737ce4292005ad2836a979acf25cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1epgcpuq8sm0p8zacef4ya2c53y4vhk7ahmy6u0445wm5dfjlnrps8s9ghu op_cert: \x52216cab27f95f5106d679a794f42c4b80cc8e0d5ae98d96ff2d7b146f530351 op_cert_counter: 2