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 5318580 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 21278338 epoch_slot_no: 369538 block_no: 5318403 slot_leader_id: 5086819 size: 10818 time: 2021-02-09 04:23:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x554d03958ecad401487dfc745b6a05d10533665b68636bacd417a581265fffedBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pyv5w0mmsr0p6jls8lgekwckhscp204rfezh7w9yvyucypq3lk3s055l5t op_cert: \x286761cb81818233b075eafad5bec9cead22f6d933c662b160bcf30d29a0e33e op_cert_counter: 1