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 5257121 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 20039072 epoch_slot_no: 426272 block_no: 5256944 slot_leader_id: 5045242 size: 1538 time: 2021-01-25 20:09:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2dbaa32454a48e395267880bd2574750846edf2494fbc96b18cd38f7e0e7213fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16u9vnslzgy03650yjltyft60mlschgp96zdd4np8ylkf5a8ugfrq8cq5dl op_cert: \xb9b367927c13c49f280e9aa387d09b567265accbaf4408098f0a9a911da9eec0 op_cert_counter: 0