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 5257313 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20043281 epoch_slot_no: 430481 block_no: 5257136 slot_leader_id: 5087464 size: 5978 time: 2021-01-25 21:19:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb4b008ed47461f695620d6adfdb31e8910377ce7dec139bab865bb664c0097bcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1djvdnqh53rpga036nhsg2xap3x0hpffvya58azdq00y5e4hlhmwsw5kgu3 op_cert: \xe78aecda9bffd8ad4253cc6e463fa7fab1770604a4b3c5ce9fb31caa3c7c6146 op_cert_counter: 1