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 5171246 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18310717 epoch_slot_no: 425917 block_no: 5171069 slot_leader_id: 4963072 size: 8572 time: 2021-01-05 20:03:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe5dfa8f331a7326744694b98bbf6289e30315824536232a7f1f3a533ccb175a8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dl59hndn0nlz9hryax4rd6quq8njrjva9fx7aylj78spk3xks3dsugmqf7 op_cert: \xd4852ee34ef241277e47e61db422a935ff28f8ff1a2603840eb3918edec68145 op_cert_counter: 0