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 5356338 Details
Epoch: 248 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 22040226 epoch_slot_no: 267426 block_no: 5356161 slot_leader_id: 4938706 size: 16965 time: 2021-02-18 00:01:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x09dca4feec0fc2c650f76ce38da06be178ceb9e7d96639b5663cc017aa75468aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1za5mmw6v8nyq7dzwyvxnuz5qdztprzf98r83mu8lmt2gyvylj9ksjlllk2 op_cert: \x5af60b949bf4125517c545a28e71e4c7a669bcaf3c296a0070d78f564abb4746 op_cert_counter: 1