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 5171397 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18313792 epoch_slot_no: 428992 block_no: 5171220 slot_leader_id: 4561295 size: 15542 time: 2021-01-05 20:54:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x205d409a7780901877817ba54ba39733666616f88f006a7eca6cc47d4d78f83eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1re6r46r8sj4hcafey4hkud02sev80jzsrw6l3j9mk2ee33qm736s07pvdh op_cert: \x04bb6553d185c04365988fab6e95f7601bf01c51c790b00c2a857189213e3f58 op_cert_counter: 3