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 5261509 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 20130224 epoch_slot_no: 85424 block_no: 5261332 slot_leader_id: 4576802 size: 2396 time: 2021-01-26 21:28:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8709fc566fb94c2ebe4e4590b2c62a9286014620ad99d21ee0a00aac6788b0eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w8xts7fy2y9nrva4hdn302wq9rmq06ptp82s3m5tqs3qfsj8cl6qy0dyjj op_cert: \xea8decc20d6798b0c2736b0226cc16816723ae340a541db386408456153fa8eb op_cert_counter: 2