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 5253059 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19957208 epoch_slot_no: 344408 block_no: 5252882 slot_leader_id: 5086870 size: 3169 time: 2021-01-24 21:24:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x76beabd49d0dec48f6b99577ade9bc477c8666fa4cf779dc4055a8e478283157Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w0cj9kkl0cu3l8ynj3v5t6upnv37nvmayqruagaw74nxpjwu4t8sn4nls4 op_cert: \x308ea8d1a6c8d3396f25d24cf12bb05bb144795ef878c71db6fb89f0e3bad85b op_cert_counter: 1