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 5268557 Details
Epoch: 244 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 20270889 epoch_slot_no: 226089 block_no: 5268380 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 5721 time: 2021-01-28 12:33:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x94cfda8653ce967c24ee98cda515a818b4ef023c59e3b29495d23f1cfb2b44d6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xebd440a58904475277f0cffa6ada4171be3818ac0219c6ca0a7e38a6449a4596 op_cert_counter: 3