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 5170236 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18289330 epoch_slot_no: 404530 block_no: 5170059 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 3153 time: 2021-01-05 14:07:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe8566db04cf2056bc04e9e0855f20154567dba848c00ce9398890dec51b4c34cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \x2b01ef794e28b8ab478a22940d2cc4bc50e689bd006fdc90b5dc0d18107e8398 op_cert_counter: 4