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 5261486 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 20129777 epoch_slot_no: 84977 block_no: 5261309 slot_leader_id: 5028556 size: 3493 time: 2021-01-26 21:21:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8fe3a641fb0100a2baf0a95b2cd90345d1f11be1b0b359fc44af1867c57827abBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12kgnl55yud9wnjhrfjkpu5vgw6ahjeuepfyp83xaer9yhqejsutsxavpsn op_cert: \xbf291c9137aebc48429ccf33e00cd3b8151e4e80f83ffe8b4c6570186e972af9 op_cert_counter: 1