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 5172468 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18334227 epoch_slot_no: 17427 block_no: 5172291 slot_leader_id: 5044633 size: 13895 time: 2021-01-06 02:35:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe74d91f93f81035dec83e3480d3017bbd55a9e47d9618370545ae8dc3d8f19b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u8xxqcvjytxw7q4rxdsgxeqqw4ud6jy7gyv42jhkvktfjl5d98pqj4avvf op_cert: \x34b98666246074a37a5b6f8db731f340a68e4b89b9b7de12d616fc61127f5a0a op_cert_counter: 0