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 5257598 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 20048977 epoch_slot_no: 4177 block_no: 5257421 slot_leader_id: 4646548 size: 4962 time: 2021-01-25 22:54:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe326313b526cef5eebafe5108086737b4a70bea9ffc29a705b032b56018d57f3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gxlu5vrfkcnlg965j42egkv797g3up57argyta0xavucm7z7hvus0x0cgg op_cert: \x50b09de08e5b3a0cf793c19e793c8ab6ad8cf2939ce687cbd2d5488868462c54 op_cert_counter: 1