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 5356273 Details
Epoch: 248 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 22038947 epoch_slot_no: 266147 block_no: 5356096 slot_leader_id: 5151482 size: 5273 time: 2021-02-17 23:40:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc3be4c1f039f75b3226ec0e7ce437b2b6121a9fac01e18d7c2acddcba7cb6fb3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zcjxl3gs09fmwwvy4tz5vgqsxtu7crrj6r4cntakp08htpkhw4qswskdm7 op_cert: \x93c77bf3f8c8a1001c8e5f3fb1361ed89ef7e8c2a0f98cd565b81444a6f6db79 op_cert_counter: 1