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 5257349 Details
Epoch: 243 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20043959 epoch_slot_no: 431159 block_no: 5257172 slot_leader_id: 5041733 size: 2263 time: 2021-01-25 21:30:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7daa3364c795064202952d622be1ba918f4f9116251d6676e270c0f284381325Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cgf26uklmd7p87femu468zc5sjgyajrqdtyl9ad5u9l89kznx0s463ker op_cert: \x027aa7f19a279f8a933b152c00635b5eb8c6e91e2dc2274e9ad9a3a1ed81c0f0 op_cert_counter: 15