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 5172349 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18332036 epoch_slot_no: 15236 block_no: 5172172 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 829 time: 2021-01-06 01:58:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3e159651bc9a1b6ad3d473a58c4fdd9ae5032325ce89d9b71698ed727aa15c21Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x9617550c9a40974795e0a357bc666df220ec1ea393416e56c45005af63f82a98 op_cert_counter: 0