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 5172198 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18329080 epoch_slot_no: 12280 block_no: 5172021 slot_leader_id: 5088061 size: 6317 time: 2021-01-06 01:09:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x35256c04dc602fb960789433593a7b752ee27d0949a0d0ac1190238a642cfdc2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13eq92958r6drekadf70nrkud26vg3plep4erdqvxq3h7fr3njtvsjyppxe op_cert: \xfc49bf754916f2c152a4b20e4af57a195d75d30909f9960527b0003702e6e6e1 op_cert_counter: 1