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 5351698 Details
Epoch: 248 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 21946576 epoch_slot_no: 173776 block_no: 5351521 slot_leader_id: 5152538 size: 8566 time: 2021-02-16 22:01:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc1e205174b98c767c7a1ba649e139ff8a0ac84d2375c3413283f9c1fdd3fdff6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18xvx22uq44j6kaqanutf5wm9gtp7tcv7aztz2505pjlrrpfdygqqz7fh8r op_cert: \xc4f0727700616ce60e37ca347c89fbf538ab48db3e2fe4b20cd0e0b1bc127288 op_cert_counter: 1