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 5438573 Details
Epoch: 252 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 23712057 epoch_slot_no: 211257 block_no: 5438396 slot_leader_id: 5152757 size: 9337 time: 2021-03-09 08:25:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x702e6769f9cbf180ab71d80c49875345968f74839d97162d198165076f51cc89Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hj70x993rze9mhsgj8dvee0vcsx2vxqns92yysnfqueueulwnheqkq0246 op_cert: \x14b3bf6b41aaf3563a8d0b704bfcbdf7374b64f2eccdd5efc20f286921128761 op_cert_counter: 1