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 5259462 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 20087686 epoch_slot_no: 42886 block_no: 5259285 slot_leader_id: 5088061 size: 799 time: 2021-01-26 09:39:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9dbbf0f0116993182dbce60ab0affbaa2994b6f07784b013e876812681f55cfaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13eq92958r6drekadf70nrkud26vg3plep4erdqvxq3h7fr3njtvsjyppxe op_cert: \xfc49bf754916f2c152a4b20e4af57a195d75d30909f9960527b0003702e6e6e1 op_cert_counter: 1