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 5258173 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 20060812 epoch_slot_no: 16012 block_no: 5257996 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 5001 time: 2021-01-26 02:11:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1093e8d8c01149ff6f1bd0ed47d6367f9786a6b2a466b62cd38ac5c42113408eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xe31d9288ed479485daaca741885308282f35ab1107638d8b333c9622f2c50ca9 op_cert_counter: 2