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 5372172 Details
Epoch: 249 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 22359605 epoch_slot_no: 154805 block_no: 5371995 slot_leader_id: 5087787 size: 6462 time: 2021-02-21 16:44:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdb95296c9405d6db99bd203e5c0bd98b63880cc972b5445cb2481abd3097d53dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15wjuugwl5qgpahp9edc7z9dartl3kfc72a6tdj6ecv7scnj6p73str2kg9 op_cert: \xc2b9e41cd89e6cf697b3e36ef611df2114703dea7570f583292e561642a10851 op_cert_counter: 3