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 5172978 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18344798 epoch_slot_no: 27998 block_no: 5172801 slot_leader_id: 4555906 size: 1597 time: 2021-01-06 05:31:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7440e00881a27ca57cc75edba049cc7b2c281a1ce65e2b53016467b888323220Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ll92u8xvg9ysl55f5gwm7jnz7cm45ynhraf2kyw97knn5muvch6q3jw7cm op_cert: \xe877114bbf374d827eaad0278c1e0f58a8b586ad866d36edb2223f90ba4dcc87 op_cert_counter: 6