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 5170288 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18290455 epoch_slot_no: 405655 block_no: 5170111 slot_leader_id: 4938706 size: 3538 time: 2021-01-05 14:25:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xddee26cb6e46b352395442c4b691517b3b4254801c97eb86427581e92b33885bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1za5mmw6v8nyq7dzwyvxnuz5qdztprzf98r83mu8lmt2gyvylj9ksjlllk2 op_cert: \xad14cd38e163b4e34110fdbe5930ba57225700298d71ba970466004e9c02a03b op_cert_counter: 0