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 5172162 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 18328117 epoch_slot_no: 11317 block_no: 5171985 slot_leader_id: 5152773 size: 687 time: 2021-01-06 00:53:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7af9491a8148d523e27b50d99eabd13a70f514be8c0823c8a5aa9469dad1066aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t8plepcw04sd9uv7wjlpjkkxmrtxmwrjufujrad4thxsr3savljsuyslvf op_cert: \x5e5db730f2a9ccea527ad682d98f507f84451457711aad76b446fe7098b41da5 op_cert_counter: 1