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 5171601 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18317483 epoch_slot_no: 683 block_no: 5171424 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 7077 time: 2021-01-05 21:56:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6411fa575bc338be0ee3c80459b459987cd00e0ac0c9aac4de5a672c61e2e22aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x26aa99052c03483024984e4b2f99d0972276f473487d62b5c594589534a007b8 op_cert_counter: 4