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 5257475 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 20046540 epoch_slot_no: 1740 block_no: 5257298 slot_leader_id: 4563239 size: 2073 time: 2021-01-25 22:13:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd42d5b37bc81fb0172579443f58227ff37cabf4c5523faed3da01cfe01501742Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14lte7hr4l993j0fdqsemmfy44zc9fc5lt83zrcne4qm0a6l0p8sq5xx0vn op_cert: \x89d33c8e4f3a9b9768987ea73e6117ecfabc28b8bb5861cc69b9b47eac33308b op_cert_counter: 2