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 5253698 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 19970942 epoch_slot_no: 358142 block_no: 5253521 slot_leader_id: 4490689 size: 5412 time: 2021-01-25 01:13:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x027fb92d838af2b5c3e27ddd2ae8b070e5aa112120f352322984857abaf664e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nsd60hkw7uahngavcnq9g95tt2ewh477cwtmtdtnxk70g0cpdfxqknqup3 op_cert: \xb4cc6a6faece66bdc611bf1dd6fe7fe798d44a44318eb36ca355132a8ab54cf0 op_cert_counter: 1