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 5260994 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 20118939 epoch_slot_no: 74139 block_no: 5260817 slot_leader_id: 4555592 size: 9454 time: 2021-01-26 18:20:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x707c40489afee2e3685713898689873fd2fb0211c6082a302ad6f7da92e6f60eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h0ervlcy4sz6ypa32wly3x995nmeh3j3ngfl739ezjx40s9mvurqptqy7u op_cert: \xf37d881b7f05aa11d15a3b12e49e7650c274db255bbc75544353b97ce646b6d4 op_cert_counter: 5