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 5172562 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18336042 epoch_slot_no: 19242 block_no: 5172385 slot_leader_id: 4556294 size: 3131 time: 2021-01-06 03:05:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f46e2d130ef404bd167a3c4c1ca3ab5158309b62237b87441e38829aa228971Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rgedf5ehp45jtrgkp8rmr225x6y3rd2tl5jp9m2s048s0u5nnzlqcqfq3t op_cert: \x6d62d58910a47f906b1b2d031aab62335c0d08cbfac36a451b8ce79435bda516 op_cert_counter: 5