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 5252436 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19944934 epoch_slot_no: 332134 block_no: 5252259 slot_leader_id: 4558367 size: 6378 time: 2021-01-24 18:00:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2ec8b1d70d2b4eff2b7a1f0970b18e665d8ec857b9f10c07b11c004066df1089Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nkf2z3s4sm00xtme6n7yxwdaye0dhwpz8zptyh22u9ex4pnugzmsulqnd6 op_cert: \x446a699bd57f3c25b136ff059f8bd837e7a9104e11cd4f42754cf23d3cde9046 op_cert_counter: 3