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 5172665 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 18338298 epoch_slot_no: 21498 block_no: 5172488 slot_leader_id: 5150628 size: 6257 time: 2021-01-06 03:43:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x99fa8a431e8eae551d824a0bc3f4d79fc509e3851b8756656e384b63b65fd97eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v2half2tx53a0y7539gx7j8p73tg0zuxa2mpmfkmk2jxu5ucvtcszd385e op_cert: \x9df0c9859e049e9b6e497e5b23e1a5dff2f579affc36f72e69dc22aff719770e op_cert_counter: 0