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 5171459 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18314786 epoch_slot_no: 429986 block_no: 5171282 slot_leader_id: 4563470 size: 5728 time: 2021-01-05 21:11:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18140f8a8acb344c8dd04a3d1fc3ba377c4484bc95b665f8706e7eaac6f21f78Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fmkjgjt7t50p49zn0gul8eca0kjuk6kgpc0k6ka2jk5ndq2znu2qh8n508 op_cert: \x04d1d8000d3bbff791bf74e5b4590d166e598da2efce40fa4a4310e6f53d8708 op_cert_counter: 2