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 5257482 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 20046639 epoch_slot_no: 1839 block_no: 5257305 slot_leader_id: 5152344 size: 2120 time: 2021-01-25 22:15:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb5de9ec2a4b82244717224b2199014c4fddd285a4573085c4b9c6dfe492830abBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lpxqkprv75klqf07hsjly8qz9lpmmmpz7jm68dplr5xzcay87ewqzqml8u op_cert: \xcdedff39c42126b233510a9b3e4a273f8a8641065a5f6bfc4948b7d9000e9107 op_cert_counter: 1