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 5251040 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19917561 epoch_slot_no: 304761 block_no: 5250863 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 1319 time: 2021-01-24 10:24:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5924d7d010e9298e210dd8413240c23f9c98b7cf2a55890d0fc5301255ae26baBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xc8feecd8122d2567e942bbe4cde08368eb74b52c3e84a699344454e2748edd96 op_cert_counter: 3