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 5171856 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18322349 epoch_slot_no: 5549 block_no: 5171679 slot_leader_id: 5088394 size: 6547 time: 2021-01-05 23:17:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x83f138ec965db1f7ddb153fe1ab124bda2ce0ad860c84e873e014dc3c399e8f7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n82ruvdjpx9ner8gv85ywwr7xyk0kh3d9thshv72r2crcdkhxygqxztpyz op_cert: \x0aa7cf7b32a49720f3a5e7433093bf440d662e4db9e58b059f4ade4d912b64d8 op_cert_counter: 0