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 4973386 Details
Epoch: 230 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 14269964 epoch_slot_no: 273164 block_no: 4973209 slot_leader_id: 4557246 size: 989 time: 2020-11-20 01:37:35 proto_major: 2 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa9ebb9fb6b97c88ce3b34c0b701a85bc13fe261fd27759f340162a6da3835a7cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tu93scfuau8nt42pd35pkrl5rmzlf7wjlm09g4vf8zuwhudexlxsl57jpk op_cert: \x74bfa7ac2ffe74ba4884e41b943d058a609565467b4bbff53776eb08e62a2247 op_cert_counter: 1