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 5373340 Details
Epoch: 249 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 22383495 epoch_slot_no: 178695 block_no: 5373163 slot_leader_id: 4710136 size: 8920 time: 2021-02-21 23:23:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfcae9cc46b2b0f217d58a60f5ae2ed02b1135888cbf58fe864b75ac742fcc86eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16ddt5jrstu5jt22fphm72suvx2645yctfplna088tk6zpshsqtsq7s6v78 op_cert: \x75c126fdf9a5a703a6d399a806fcb2a304192a278d78346236c42b16b9a77fd8 op_cert_counter: 2