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 5339540 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 21698348 epoch_slot_no: 357548 block_no: 5339363 slot_leader_id: 5003953 size: 11538 time: 2021-02-14 01:03:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae8d4577f27bff6a79bd79f433eecc339ccb8ba24c549a6901736de6d31a7bc7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gkqrkn2hem278py2d44wak5496r4kmv3nu55mycwj7hf659evtqs5t750t op_cert: \xfd9e85d6ae9fbe29302a75ed96ea97aa644fd48c6b695a115a540e44c196fc31 op_cert_counter: 1