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 5170796 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18301473 epoch_slot_no: 416673 block_no: 5170619 slot_leader_id: 4555645 size: 6917 time: 2021-01-05 17:29:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x638b49706d2e1ef985d5b537243a690215334a404f88cde1d98fee67845c9ffeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18mvldxxw5k9gd9a8dznc63ez4x80mpdkz6l0wrm6y430p22nvfqq62u7ty op_cert: \x55efce91053e5969413783ac3760b2448f74e0dac512d6ac7a54919b793e42eb op_cert_counter: 3