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 5457321 Details
Epoch: 253 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 24098229 epoch_slot_no: 165429 block_no: 5457144 slot_leader_id: 4568166 size: 9257 time: 2021-03-13 19:42:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc8f723f9bdb2a751081ebe168f3b1a7827e5cc23addebe841c2dcabd0a2fbf6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x23fpnnfh69ps2hvyszr7rd478s5gjkx7lh0epv7rdutuurtlr9q08qzt3 op_cert: \x961bb59398bd7ce0da7045b2d1363f6ad28a95a0eeac5e71289009520d5bd956 op_cert_counter: 4