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 5257003 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 20036883 epoch_slot_no: 424083 block_no: 5256826 slot_leader_id: 4555889 size: 4556 time: 2021-01-25 19:32:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5f8ac2157002881693b2742e1c7d76636f08496f368ead41c1a640cdb9e3588Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zphpt2jwqeya67nw98k4z9jamxljs9t0cpt56a80u5q6cddryyts5eehgf op_cert: \x0554a9ef74cf696a8a8ad62f283c8503d735553e72aff68b72a21b19b22f56d2 op_cert_counter: 3