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 5256811 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 20033281 epoch_slot_no: 420481 block_no: 5256634 slot_leader_id: 4606002 size: 452 time: 2021-01-25 18:32:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe27eac126f724bda6c820dfc9486117145f01b77c19423e48d0eb1adf2a5ed7eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z663uh5dc8x3w8v4ku0xcrutw0jcgx8n0c2apgsymyfp7ycrd0wsnua78w op_cert: \x1fa2914a5eafc39a9f0784bc9c55d4a8d8320a26baf5cc81f867c9662ad1edf5 op_cert_counter: 4