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 5253249 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 19961645 epoch_slot_no: 348845 block_no: 5253072 slot_leader_id: 4938685 size: 3990 time: 2021-01-24 22:38:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x267c737bf180635f6e5f4154d999b50842dbda5d49a5b001fb8b812e6130be28Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15je2et5hk9em5hem0z27an20n8dm2rmeawc53jrzasz92f5qmcwsv9necz op_cert: \xa4d0cd16720808878a35e57ba6ab2157efb770737e59387d73719be22de3d76a op_cert_counter: 0