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 5318561 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 21278016 epoch_slot_no: 369216 block_no: 5318384 slot_leader_id: 5045242 size: 7813 time: 2021-02-09 04:18:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x845c35deee601b2f9f344bca3d534772576fb275cd94ba4802d44c6669192eceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16u9vnslzgy03650yjltyft60mlschgp96zdd4np8ylkf5a8ugfrq8cq5dl op_cert: \xb9b367927c13c49f280e9aa387d09b567265accbaf4408098f0a9a911da9eec0 op_cert_counter: 0