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 5371481 Details
Epoch: 249 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 22346050 epoch_slot_no: 141250 block_no: 5371304 slot_leader_id: 4490690 size: 17635 time: 2021-02-21 12:59:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb178a006ce31e9cf0b7b3f36535c8c24a89f53556f5dd8d1afd73e0c4d4ca52fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jptpea0mf6k6w78s2eqxpwd4zw8mlfgvpe60cjtf2myvx5rnqxnqt57spl op_cert: \x5ff7b6bb1ddb6cd2db3d548d114d4140ee86cd0f014083e928d3069354203e59 op_cert_counter: 2