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 5257027 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 20037413 epoch_slot_no: 424613 block_no: 5256850 slot_leader_id: 4986189 size: 2101 time: 2021-01-25 19:41:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8442ba860f25465b4418e32425e3aa6c35572579e4927fdd6c5447572564daeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kcx7el0zm6gk0ujn2uf9eadngkvg6z0a9pu0juenf3fs39pacsjsd42e8v op_cert: \x24a350bcf5b70a3d18fc94a2cec403f9986d8aae16d8c0306b7860145f732cc3 op_cert_counter: 0