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 5257658 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20050336 epoch_slot_no: 5536 block_no: 5257481 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 2642 time: 2021-01-25 23:17:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3a405eb304c7a8bb7959026039e0681816506b2b6c917c858745fb612e747a0eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \xc06d2a8bd9f8402aa1654d239f4c24b20e6bf3577486c8216159c70b0be90aaf op_cert_counter: 4