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 6257428 Details
Epoch: 290 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 40346048 epoch_slot_no: 429248 block_no: 6257251 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 13061 time: 2021-09-17 20:58:59 proto_major: 5 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b16817dddccc5712b174d79d26bbcca738906e5af97e0036ffd9c4d74f6cbd3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \x52000de4bb78511a4404b196ee0156fa77ced21d1e8e5ad370f08bfe2c7b3c65 op_cert_counter: 5