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 5172411 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 18333298 epoch_slot_no: 16498 block_no: 5172234 slot_leader_id: 5086819 size: 13857 time: 2021-01-06 02:19:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe1812c57d0e3b84ff6211a121cd2567204ad3db6adf35bc560f73f6dfdffc874Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pyv5w0mmsr0p6jls8lgekwckhscp204rfezh7w9yvyucypq3lk3s055l5t op_cert: \x286761cb81818233b075eafad5bec9cead22f6d933c662b160bcf30d29a0e33e op_cert_counter: 1