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 5170438 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18294050 epoch_slot_no: 409250 block_no: 5170261 slot_leader_id: 4490690 size: 5439 time: 2021-01-05 15:25:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5aef87ca10217d7b73136d9dc00deb66f4f4c472750939b882531721da674b1bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1jptpea0mf6k6w78s2eqxpwd4zw8mlfgvpe60cjtf2myvx5rnqxnqt57spl op_cert: \xa8e96a58f12d08163564eda1fc8a074b7a8d3d7221a85a019b51d89a41a45caa op_cert_counter: 1