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 5257339 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 20043774 epoch_slot_no: 430974 block_no: 5257162 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 317 time: 2021-01-25 21:27:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc99796eca8205b973c96e153360ead5b2fd9a0584a47dde652c12e97ca821809Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x26aa99052c03483024984e4b2f99d0972276f473487d62b5c594589534a007b8 op_cert_counter: 4