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 5257083 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 20038297 epoch_slot_no: 425497 block_no: 5256906 slot_leader_id: 4568578 size: 16928 time: 2021-01-25 19:56:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd8adca44016c3cb32aa23314f75a8b547c2789c6bfcf92cbe173e543f9c09ac5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1eu03uqm2tz5t9r5lq36skujppyhnshj0a3exf87wz979tqjvtv4qs2dfj8 op_cert: \x47927b5ab44e3ddf12dc7cf91ca75a7472fcd13fddb80ecbd642a6dd1df3b3c1 op_cert_counter: 4