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 5255668 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 20010352 epoch_slot_no: 397552 block_no: 5255491 slot_leader_id: 4562285 size: 426 time: 2021-01-25 12:10:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe51428d876a6898514a37fa431f7cda72d6ac1ca97fa40da68ebde6c32812b9dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vxkyne4ftwjz4vlla756mlfqrmzwx35mkhk7d993njzmceksfp2q3kp8d4 op_cert: \x6f2f60d921cd55a9b2220e598789c3acb1d1653e7b49957676df824673f9450c op_cert_counter: 5