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 5257146 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 20039793 epoch_slot_no: 426993 block_no: 5256969 slot_leader_id: 4557996 size: 5177 time: 2021-01-25 20:21:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x78fe4879f575cbd2e45122eed76d53e04c116a6f484085e55d707cec3d79c7a8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wvlqe2qje36uz5mhk5hnzq4qwuhqs9y7dvawtueezakddmp8fl9qhadshx op_cert: \x793a169983a70818f0e0df9c932e795cc35621f7f69a32318f30f4b5f6aa6302 op_cert_counter: 4