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 5171840 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18322039 epoch_slot_no: 5239 block_no: 5171663 slot_leader_id: 5086876 size: 4293 time: 2021-01-05 23:12:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4cb7d0ed0187001345385055424a6eb98b6c4df5f6c3e4e43d2694133c58920bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1nhr70gay78n2u0ddrks75pks6l0u3snev72j9wuglgntv0x8rxtssllx5h op_cert: \x2490f09dbad65f97fbe10c9f02d096d601b8ca55c34b289b8a5ebcb8d5231e74 op_cert_counter: 1