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 5257963 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 20056799 epoch_slot_no: 11999 block_no: 5257786 slot_leader_id: 4588641 size: 3006 time: 2021-01-26 01:04:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb249d9254ae5542ec4f395ded8f2c10d55f9f9972177bfd5c2312c2d4907639fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ru93jt3xr5v2y9tevmgfuzxvckjxjy77nfjrvmc7nc6hgvg4leqysrpyq op_cert: \x416255b86c93dfef9b0c97c8012dc5836472274e147332a56da70306dafd3ce6 op_cert_counter: 1