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 5170214 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18288885 epoch_slot_no: 404085 block_no: 5170037 slot_leader_id: 4563376 size: 4073 time: 2021-01-05 13:59:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c56e81794cee68ddecf514ecc8fdbad11a74ca0e2eb48c9e4cd39270d016367Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14hv04c02v5dul2g9lustwg23r666xp9xwkzn3jjj2mt354wmgsqqcv9y9h op_cert: \x30a41ce41c039359f11aed14ef25df9ab3ec8acf71a454a6be23a9be41e9faab op_cert_counter: 5