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 5172074 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18326639 epoch_slot_no: 9839 block_no: 5171897 slot_leader_id: 4565685 size: 7229 time: 2021-01-06 00:28:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xec60c94f37ffa3a4bbf0390fa59cb110f10ef930d62c12b995a34e687f4ef595Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zsjgvj07hxhszhr55euwy8x9nd3lsg83srls5wvuevenhv3cszhsvfr0nq op_cert: \xa643cd93547610cb039c71113d53b7e5bbe51e743440e1607cb3f2b91ab42971 op_cert_counter: 2