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 5170604 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18297595 epoch_slot_no: 412795 block_no: 5170427 slot_leader_id: 4555571 size: 8321 time: 2021-01-05 16:24:46 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x359cd9b5bef6199b2c1c52e0e2bf04c94f18d9cac0df7f9539e9e652f3475576Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168lpf4j8uqtt9c7wj7hq8ljhw8uha4lxr65sxt7n4p90lrd2k0esqs88gp op_cert: \x67e1dd5594f03ede7517238b298a9d13caeb1c0861d1ba5bd2f6a2fe5eec5e05 op_cert_counter: 4