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 5253658 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 19970066 epoch_slot_no: 357266 block_no: 5253481 slot_leader_id: 5046367 size: 3217 time: 2021-01-25 00:59:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38caa36a643c0acf89bf1a1cedfb7a1840edf2da21b9b1518ec705ee8e512c2dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c30p4kcpcqfvc4cqfhg7az8mdvzfazx6w9gfhzu7jvpva3exuwasjxn8lj op_cert: \xb9a688db03681b0aed94adcd983fc754da0f3270ab870fb8ac626671255bc5a8 op_cert_counter: 2