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 5257111 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 20038848 epoch_slot_no: 426048 block_no: 5256934 slot_leader_id: 4555559 size: 732 time: 2021-01-25 20:05:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf0a172496522f1f63a07e52bd7251517062e406d68efa57787efa1b6d6dc1de5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wtjqjwqte7lj8h4z3hvyz7w97mnlgkj26mnhs79vlflus34u2txq3a5z6z op_cert: \x7711f9316df378a2e82ad57b7a25427de75b758544d531b32dc8c635367b6642 op_cert_counter: 3