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 5171665 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18318702 epoch_slot_no: 1902 block_no: 5171488 slot_leader_id: 4628586 size: 5469 time: 2021-01-05 22:16:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8f72aa950dc8a39038d9e3cca75e02a3de32b5da968d931863500d23bccf76cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k65tnyj7m358l5n65g63jy2rh65yt3xhdkne24fs2j9p5lajzmsdzasa6 op_cert: \x159e0e55f5ab34f6edb0ea23680bb7adc4badd862312a46833edf65d8ebfd580 op_cert_counter: 6