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 5257318 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20043340 epoch_slot_no: 430540 block_no: 5257141 slot_leader_id: 4634493 size: 1097 time: 2021-01-25 21:20:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc5ebb71038fb8a129f16f69255396f1aced245f5709ff10cf7c0921fd915acd1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1knups3css9zwcss59s47uq55edshzxuxsyn77s92kehl7hfr399qvctsh6 op_cert: \x26d222b0853a3556a387d8860c3647c277ad0f9ce4ab0bf85836c261987ada9a op_cert_counter: 1