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 5252356 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 19943577 epoch_slot_no: 330777 block_no: 5252179 slot_leader_id: 4938839 size: 5653 time: 2021-01-24 17:37:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x94fd34abdccacf3bb8229612eb82ab0161a81b378250e39877345bb064ca5193Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yhmrqph3k0tuprgjv8pgc2scg6h8q4akajqn9d9xahc4lw5azw5sjf6324 op_cert: \x5be4db366014886d4ab715480ac7158a42f90bd88c7216b8a3389879123c1a83 op_cert_counter: 1