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 5257636 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20049820 epoch_slot_no: 5020 block_no: 5257459 slot_leader_id: 5129128 size: 2961 time: 2021-01-25 23:08:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x269cd50f488192e08511ddfd720d41ba350b3bb1009c89cc9b35f86a9906a5ddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h4q6ws859jxpkvu544a9nl5yy93tlzxwcr4p77e7lcxh5z2mfts0vlc6s op_cert: \xb36cacdc9c8ab9b16ef0d7ca484a51677cd919197d9bbd144f099c984414ddc1 op_cert_counter: 0