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 5258174 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 20060864 epoch_slot_no: 16064 block_no: 5257997 slot_leader_id: 4691946 size: 7471 time: 2021-01-26 02:12:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x056583e57c2d699290d1a39cb88cea37386d37944e7ecdb7b4ed675c97ebc069Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19yzsxj0wpvns57zq6zw626z27amrnfqmy5j5h7ywj9u693qjzs8s4a24t2 op_cert: \x27a2783659eea1d854e5c4edc352cbc9979179d7a14baf0cd51981c42402785a op_cert_counter: 4