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 5172499 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 18334760 epoch_slot_no: 17960 block_no: 5172322 slot_leader_id: 4981904 size: 570 time: 2021-01-06 02:44:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0dce8a8874b182645fa10a2f5bcacc64451a9388e02d8a86299908ad88a3e77eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rt4whnfaazzgxepp5vw0t59msuy8nyg9z6cadfdjxledq24wgrzsjttrjy op_cert: \xa8980b936b3c7f04fee6e34123434b85d30e66956c248ef2cd9ff520d19da24d op_cert_counter: 0