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 5171276 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18311389 epoch_slot_no: 426589 block_no: 5171099 slot_leader_id: 5088061 size: 4110 time: 2021-01-05 20:14:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3d3ca9160549d4d3b0bec6be0fc1c465ccd2f54c778ab13175804af0265e10faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13eq92958r6drekadf70nrkud26vg3plep4erdqvxq3h7fr3njtvsjyppxe op_cert: \xfc49bf754916f2c152a4b20e4af57a195d75d30909f9960527b0003702e6e6e1 op_cert_counter: 1