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 5171616 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18317858 epoch_slot_no: 1058 block_no: 5171439 slot_leader_id: 4964312 size: 4236 time: 2021-01-05 22:02:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x445386ca36a55b6a33149e16db107e46eefb18410ca41fbc84946c78629c829aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1srs2y8nn0a4umvk9dxq9tle7r2g9gphm0vv0j65crkvne2ys98ssr5wlht op_cert: \xbe73cbe177ce5e538d05fa853ffa8e2cae72ad29058914a675fb62852cfb8a83 op_cert_counter: 1