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 5170821 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 18302049 epoch_slot_no: 417249 block_no: 5170644 slot_leader_id: 4938729 size: 8518 time: 2021-01-05 17:39:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf63187722b78f1e20bdce178777c88969c66677772aae205e994fcefa99f33d6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1670vkvcqzzau3vnl4c57tjjl4m07kz9gnv9gh6ksguqnvm042ljqk626nl op_cert: \x8841d29c525219efcbda49aac7644d442d7f462f2e4f202c5549eaa7657e61f7 op_cert_counter: 0