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 5171739 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18320329 epoch_slot_no: 3529 block_no: 5171562 slot_leader_id: 4558699 size: 1831 time: 2021-01-05 22:43:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d4fe534ede012aba38449d25200953d8ea99f5a68149f2a06469cbf1043e29fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk175uwr938t2t7tru94pd0yflmpl7y32p8vf78ytq2rldna2lqmlksu4y5dk op_cert: \x248c23b3c92e02da98ec0aa11d987f3abc016dab899ad4c75c0ccf8d4ab81f17 op_cert_counter: 3