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 5370614 Details
Epoch: 249 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 22328208 epoch_slot_no: 123408 block_no: 5370437 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 3849 time: 2021-02-21 08:01:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc981040b6a9cc24529901e8058cddd514e2948a530a4e16c17489a05c08f2d3eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \x2c48f00023593bc9eee263f9fddd041ab97fbb8d5d03599bd7244c0311c896bb op_cert_counter: 4