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 5258668 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 20070964 epoch_slot_no: 26164 block_no: 5258491 slot_leader_id: 5150628 size: 683 time: 2021-01-26 05:00:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x79ed2bc4b22f6762a6d62b418326b9d204b3c5824154c529a86080ca29bfef4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v2half2tx53a0y7539gx7j8p73tg0zuxa2mpmfkmk2jxu5ucvtcszd385e op_cert: \x9c4aaa6712603186650323f2d47ae03924f7d3363a256a817ee73a582951c41e op_cert_counter: 1