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 5257095 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20038486 epoch_slot_no: 425686 block_no: 5256918 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 1183 time: 2021-01-25 19:59:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3a139075880ca58a72a8eb0bf910b4caf15f7a7bc7dae5bc52bfbdbc4fa1583bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xebd440a58904475277f0cffa6ada4171be3818ac0219c6ca0a7e38a6449a4596 op_cert_counter: 3