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 5338881 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 21684876 epoch_slot_no: 344076 block_no: 5338704 slot_leader_id: 4583424 size: 7483 time: 2021-02-13 21:19:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x171d0e077d6dd9e1d3fa4fc299caddd5268029546e697b442665cda94f70876fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z6x45jt57nzdumjc0v9eujcw534etztqzcjxhhtl4fw6uqs6geyqt7f3aa op_cert: \x5da78a3ae5ff09c423a8c564b0c8550f561257bf3ba0147bc513cede8ef5c608 op_cert_counter: 3