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 5253008 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19956258 epoch_slot_no: 343458 block_no: 5252831 slot_leader_id: 5066575 size: 993 time: 2021-01-24 21:09:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5804215435a22662bbe295d0a10f364f29514500518c5d0a2f8b62b69de0cb9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qvtxrpeqpg8vnx9uk37850lz94jaf7fyraxwjsjcrzf37e4lh38sn652uj op_cert: \xf89883fd14a63aa0836dd28d66e28b3333ca32d60897f99efc33ecdf804589a2 op_cert_counter: 1