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 5257224 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20041394 epoch_slot_no: 428594 block_no: 5257047 slot_leader_id: 4571562 size: 1702 time: 2021-01-25 20:48:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc84136d9bffc2a3aa1b8896c155569f06f7a9d29a2998c6c5e29e9064754cf17Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13ups5fzgat8uddsffmmp69zfyrecllr000ycgscsrce5xsvgzn2s55ek4q op_cert: \xf44c9cec41426b78248ba2f44be86d35bcf2cafbb27892ea1d323793eeec52eb op_cert_counter: 3