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 5257869 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20054782 epoch_slot_no: 9982 block_no: 5257692 slot_leader_id: 4575269 size: 5247 time: 2021-01-26 00:31:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8430693efdef90b0fe95235692501fc675235fdb2463388ae4d27f515d8878ffBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p697xaw602mudxcfswfgn7snnl8t3eca30tds8sfk96er247zacqrtaqfh op_cert: \xfb4829dcab07fa75df679759996e92f0ebb08e089252ec27d224e4ac45d720a2 op_cert_counter: 5