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 5257945 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 20056408 epoch_slot_no: 11608 block_no: 5257768 slot_leader_id: 4583210 size: 6514 time: 2021-01-26 00:58:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6a301101adc8074735aecc16d6860cfbb3f5136954ec0d02add9e233dc83f1aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jghf4kv0p7nf7nxpc6q8q5gun2zqrxfuthudzxkwvl6zz6ygxm0ssnh8ya op_cert: \xd0867496d18ea89105af8303d4c6999ddbb75042ce1a8e7175dcb1601de84ce7 op_cert_counter: 1