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 5257096 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 20038514 epoch_slot_no: 425714 block_no: 5256919 slot_leader_id: 4490690 size: 12603 time: 2021-01-25 20:00:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfcc462df8f495d2f3057d13b00efb13cbd2ebdf5bb30a1243636b8db5a43897bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jptpea0mf6k6w78s2eqxpwd4zw8mlfgvpe60cjtf2myvx5rnqxnqt57spl op_cert: \xa8e96a58f12d08163564eda1fc8a074b7a8d3d7221a85a019b51d89a41a45caa op_cert_counter: 1