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 5351546 Details
Epoch: 248 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 21943180 epoch_slot_no: 170380 block_no: 5351369 slot_leader_id: 5003808 size: 8625 time: 2021-02-16 21:04:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8fe39dfcf7abded7f38c698c49f4e63854a81bea20fa29ac4063cb0dccb0393dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk143s9r24ek68k3pchwj6ene5h5sq2nqek5gc8tkueych36h3g69aq8pergs op_cert: \xec9a3e04a71126ff82fd6984597fb2b54b7c415b2bb4164361a68d037441d596 op_cert_counter: 1