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 5171226 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 18310226 epoch_slot_no: 425426 block_no: 5171049 slot_leader_id: 4556431 size: 10384 time: 2021-01-05 19:55:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3afd7ddf35e0b2947b6cdf034526057487ccfcc77e929b0790bd8af336f2f968Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12dl25929z0snzdwqdy8400aykx64257ted8gfvpxywmwmf4adx7sh29hd2 op_cert: \xd97b3ecdec78e5bb7142fb9e5d3472b797f8bb796b1f79b0ef681360e4c31686 op_cert_counter: 1