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 5356449 Details
Epoch: 248 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 22042696 epoch_slot_no: 269896 block_no: 5356272 slot_leader_id: 4557275 size: 5273 time: 2021-02-18 00:43:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7f9b0972f48e2ecb649ca5163a7472df7a8a5a095e5cdabbf84168f4ca6d45e9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17v5w0aak280g633jdkce0wl8ev89cp9uk5rqca6p769lj8nps56q6t2z9t op_cert: \x7ab4884c015f875b2178a76d695faeec740531d13f01b92ba86bce03bb5f3767 op_cert_counter: 3