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 5257060 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20037912 epoch_slot_no: 425112 block_no: 5256883 slot_leader_id: 4983198 size: 997 time: 2021-01-25 19:50:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x973c715fe95c291f672818ae7406b26fe23c93b7dc3c2d89f5cb3fbc7c93812dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yx6wtxhrp052yghh6g62xzejg5494gmh7nfutzfaahrwl0smr4qsahevee op_cert: \x5d6a4fc47036333d586e7df6377986502f067e9e1527880ea9d7bc00fec191d6 op_cert_counter: 1