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 5255956 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 20015863 epoch_slot_no: 403063 block_no: 5255779 slot_leader_id: 5151376 size: 9046 time: 2021-01-25 13:42:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x44c9592bc59befc8ac46c5b146005d047e0819c28e27648e67a6b08cae7a4e3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wrnnrqlkk26laxw7tx3jnrujdphy7vy808nrmmglrj4gqqj5wehql0v640 op_cert: \x86b7a01f9f5b993306c3404812aa4b357ead9d9b2576111fb01e14f3eebc05d3 op_cert_counter: 2