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 5257112 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 20038869 epoch_slot_no: 426069 block_no: 5256935 slot_leader_id: 4992149 size: 1365 time: 2021-01-25 20:06:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdc6d8383c12baa2784e5f66f569deadda98f19dcb2b8be24ad281ccdfe18ebc6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hh2vcr5y8pxvhk7g7zg5x4eavsxn3crpp0cgxl5cshpcp5c24ypsl4umdp op_cert: \xf8a0477c49b672a4edb8af2e1688d50b7f97e6be9f6684ca10ff59252f9c0013 op_cert_counter: 2