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 5252821 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19952622 epoch_slot_no: 339822 block_no: 5252644 slot_leader_id: 4555499 size: 993 time: 2021-01-24 20:08:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c52a019ca5a89ad51d0ba95699cdd239daa2fa84e96ac0fef3c6039a7a43a0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ltssr2yxf2j6ktqkhd3sgxedjna205ce9qp5djyvfa639hhux4qj73fzv op_cert: \xdda74bfaafc0d5b0ca9e1f73e2e4a3ddd587dc85d5a0564c990cf162fc6d12fb op_cert_counter: 4