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 5253067 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 19957437 epoch_slot_no: 344637 block_no: 5252890 slot_leader_id: 5152757 size: 5746 time: 2021-01-24 21:28:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9996fc482bcc93ce332b99d8d77697fc8c4a6b1a42075d8f1577359c04167f4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hj70x993rze9mhsgj8dvee0vcsx2vxqns92yysnfqueueulwnheqkq0246 op_cert: \x14b3bf6b41aaf3563a8d0b704bfcbdf7374b64f2eccdd5efc20f286921128761 op_cert_counter: 1