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 5171744 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18320352 epoch_slot_no: 3552 block_no: 5171567 slot_leader_id: 5045180 size: 1086 time: 2021-01-05 22:44:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x438a2d2f6b0a4f3fc022e8f73bfed53b46dccd24d9be83466ca44e344e276c0cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a7ugpa948480jl5dw3czlr2gqq65cq7679ckh0afv9l707z2wxsq9kyetc op_cert: \xb31dfdbe25cd7f74ba1c558a87a580bfb5c27fa19ee6f198f36e8b6b3b13b6f2 op_cert_counter: 0