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 5172846 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18342094 epoch_slot_no: 25294 block_no: 5172669 slot_leader_id: 4557143 size: 3677 time: 2021-01-06 04:46:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc70c53ff1c760ec28f77a357f67b444e3585e8f6620f16ba7f19ea3efbd55d6cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10hj5paw809p7hv482x8nkdplpjdnt8kz8hnvef7798638au89lxqcuw7l7 op_cert: \x9bf6413381463abab790ca6c0c54c4c5c4ebdbe5775068969138e60d66d1258d op_cert_counter: 2