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 5253034 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19956779 epoch_slot_no: 343979 block_no: 5252857 slot_leader_id: 4960753 size: 1069 time: 2021-01-24 21:17:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74af6e4a0ec964216be68fd199c3fb9f116bd60416e129cb40f35e724828295dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hgpvnqzcskr8kskzyq2eqvnxavcw6u384ujeejannqz55sppv0qshc6j3a op_cert: \x867fa2d819249ea8394d4c9b6f9250a7c2252c80a01995fc0e401a252e85c222 op_cert_counter: 0