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 5170674 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18299161 epoch_slot_no: 414361 block_no: 5170497 slot_leader_id: 4594584 size: 10336 time: 2021-01-05 16:50:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4520b5c8396985c9797bae55de883e80f1a99db159e607fe2944aa621c493dc0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c3ef9rl37vzvfngxls7q997felqn7le7a0ggzm5rz7c6202rve4sa8hpek op_cert: \xad51674fc1e4ab3294e57b82525c46c645e67f7a868b93742b11b2507536188f op_cert_counter: 3