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 5172733 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18339755 epoch_slot_no: 22955 block_no: 5172556 slot_leader_id: 4556700 size: 788 time: 2021-01-06 04:07:26 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8dca8655880a10021495564a84ac57e13b164046cbb96082f0551ac4df64b84eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13h3fs42athsy0qxwg99u9uge7m0ul973exll0ga0g9uhwp3yfssshn9m34 op_cert: \xed751281e46f15d62eba73def6222a6879d230a1e1a2086b41a697e59872600a op_cert_counter: 1