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 5173054 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 18346222 epoch_slot_no: 29422 block_no: 5172877 slot_leader_id: 4555482 size: 4223 time: 2021-01-06 05:55:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x37ff69d1421861beaf8d710c1e8eb54938ddef213706777209643d706b7bf7faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zkk728e2535f3rdgwj3vxf5ak6kjzcmzgwnzvcksh6ec4hvuf8gqyrgp7a op_cert: \x881e8eedac8c6e6436f97d84b2c8ffd8b63dab967311268035ee8e226e2332b7 op_cert_counter: 2