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 5257216 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 20041295 epoch_slot_no: 428495 block_no: 5257039 slot_leader_id: 4556141 size: 2458 time: 2021-01-25 20:46:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6123cd38bc78ae47d84e416ac6552d2a0acf145b654683a6d0495dd0731b509cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1aye435whr85uv7rgega9lyf4ggum26225gq0rhrvg4k735ysjuqq5qtvrj op_cert: \x1500b2ba24d70fb3ed0e63e2afd86c04022d6ffb766cf34ed6f08f3873bd1ee7 op_cert_counter: 3