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 5257234 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20041676 epoch_slot_no: 428876 block_no: 5257057 slot_leader_id: 4633359 size: 3515 time: 2021-01-25 20:52:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7ada81ae013ede45953374837919d062c90f2a2c2eb7471d2c34e9eb51a97eafBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cmx2qr8df8p4ffdpr3fzvkzpk8znnwzgyg6cjkquv4jnpww6gqksu9dclh op_cert: \x2d10ccd0253b03510309de74b8921d4e8bdffe253defa0b1e7d8b0c0f0c22306 op_cert_counter: 1