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 5257008 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 20036956 epoch_slot_no: 424156 block_no: 5256831 slot_leader_id: 4700074 size: 406 time: 2021-01-25 19:34:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8bf260743ab13138cf0088eb8e6f6349eec400affd67657106df9a71305f2024Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lhpjghvpvyrrepu2um08lpgs8z7dp9wuyx4n7mtqkvm86zrxqg9staf8tc op_cert: \xde4a72c946f8bc7b41c80abc187f9a6b2ebbce015f27ac91a6da92e63e94b33f op_cert_counter: 2