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 5172663 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18338235 epoch_slot_no: 21435 block_no: 5172486 slot_leader_id: 5044455 size: 4136 time: 2021-01-06 03:42:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdf44a21f134043873f78b17a62a0897782a30c74cdf4beac8dac33da06b51bb4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u0h50ec6lz5j75d2033rrg0jqw5lpq6w9nftg7wc7zdcxgsd8xcsl3pkax op_cert: \x9207dc262004a305b5ba624b7b0e6d3a9b25797f02c95a53f960a1f51f851f42 op_cert_counter: 0