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 5172157 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18328038 epoch_slot_no: 11238 block_no: 5171980 slot_leader_id: 4961402 size: 9606 time: 2021-01-06 00:52:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x285a7ae05594b50d016c22d237dc18270af7f468c051f338835b4de94eec2881Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f063au5fjd35833vp3zgs67y3xp2e9tjwkaz6dsx2z5u0pskc4fq7hc96n op_cert: \x3d5c8e9a5441f15e01dcc5eaff19249f46d6e3be29eaf9eca39df32d4c7eb419 op_cert_counter: 0