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 5257157 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 20040130 epoch_slot_no: 427330 block_no: 5256980 slot_leader_id: 4563943 size: 7865 time: 2021-01-25 20:27:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x494eb10a0cfc0a7b8230fa7bd8875500511296cb1ca37db5c9bf7fad5e3f0cb0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk143wc99dh43mc8g5jdfqwll42xz5l4evats34tckvucjq46x0akpqrysdvj op_cert: \x2219bc9200bca9c8814efc9fe0f0b35edb7ea363456a5be033794fe281dc5db4 op_cert_counter: 4