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 5240253 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 19702056 epoch_slot_no: 89256 block_no: 5240076 slot_leader_id: 4582306 size: 14279 time: 2021-01-21 22:32:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3ab3b4ce9b386c1fc202cd3b23523adbfd871699d214953bfb691402626e2ab6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vfz253gr7kdcyvhsd820cecmpqrvtvm0x5nutp8sferryh9zkvwswym3qe op_cert: \xfb0d93c14627b5f5e6605192bb9689a29fea6c072faf5f7d721484a10cbf1244 op_cert_counter: 10