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 5457597 Details
Epoch: 253 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 24104226 epoch_slot_no: 171426 block_no: 5457420 slot_leader_id: 4732364 size: 2470 time: 2021-03-13 21:21:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c4326bf604044145307ba3ae52e56b0d4714fa6b95fef8c381281eb1f7fc38bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19p0rp5xdmmup807ctgk0h4z066s85hqlx6nee4l2axx0e0gv39js08slyf op_cert: \x5cbbe8ad169dde5d22d44d6a600629fce10faf50c7c09c5e4a40ff179a38b0d3 op_cert_counter: 2