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 5172917 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18343627 epoch_slot_no: 26827 block_no: 5172740 slot_leader_id: 4578630 size: 4576 time: 2021-01-06 05:11:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x46db64353cca5627903a733457e839e7c2b487beb55e8e6d32dec0c03cc2d9b7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1hzpd45jx93qdns9hvcmkuhd227vhn9q4devgpnskmxtlnel3mgpsgwzmkj op_cert: \x320c5c41630fb17253953ca09c032bd06c300d8376ad0a55f9ddd1c82f96fd4d op_cert_counter: 1