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 5173229 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18350163 epoch_slot_no: 33363 block_no: 5173052 slot_leader_id: 4837061 size: 11708 time: 2021-01-06 07:00:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe8563965617f8a8e9ad8590c186a5762aab7215eaf22b03135b0cdc1a97ac76dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d2jk7gykuy5dm5vwar5qg9re82uv6agm3kmf0jmvuk3xm9flwz5q4f2sr2 op_cert: \xf3c3596421b0efe41fc6e6836bc39dbb598831c467e70bb68b13221bc03e0d99 op_cert_counter: 2