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 5171898 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 18323345 epoch_slot_no: 6545 block_no: 5171721 slot_leader_id: 5007924 size: 5334 time: 2021-01-05 23:33:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2c65cb981304576920b778affd1242e2c2b6a7b368e3e126cf652a7dc1c7c882Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c8l0gs0ycxze6dstt9akzszc40at6tyyfkavh0tvp5p6pnn62qes0uz966 op_cert: \x96dc40ed90893b17e26cb54de7c528f7a48efd0accee04ff9bdea194d7fd0ff2 op_cert_counter: 0