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 5171041 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18306661 epoch_slot_no: 421861 block_no: 5170864 slot_leader_id: 4558758 size: 2073 time: 2021-01-05 18:55:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9b5be96c36a91faf4baded38d97921b84218c14c6a35c0929d41e353d9aae9e4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1juhxtwchflk9wpr2rpqkgzc87chxp2lm5megksvs39ahne96qvjs2x0krq op_cert: \x7d20b2149fb7811b34afaade2017bdbfbba4784f56214fc975077d9e07d7c427 op_cert_counter: 1