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 5172573 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18336283 epoch_slot_no: 19483 block_no: 5172396 slot_leader_id: 4982193 size: 2432 time: 2021-01-06 03:09:34 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe02257b286e22fff194b549431e276f9f0da7a9bef7d2b3134d91ab7f518a3bfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mnjzvlsemnhnufd47g49cwsq7cgy8z657p0wre3gm6hl4gz6zcasw457zz op_cert: \xcb873b8c8304957c52b186ef0aa645e2aafc85993509900d66e0d79948a5f10e op_cert_counter: 1