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 5170220 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18288963 epoch_slot_no: 404163 block_no: 5170043 slot_leader_id: 4562160 size: 5042 time: 2021-01-05 14:00:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ac5cc25883a4ef1e042234da55cc5ca4c00212cd2fc69173b3d7659f3eecefeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sgwyz2vnv02xj5a7e9rlfxqd8w8kjteemysw9sm6v2kyrfpz43uqsrqk0d op_cert: \xc7b146b5e2e62c6814ca2bb35f6c68bac2b5c2447ba0bf80ffa409abfbbaba17 op_cert_counter: 1