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 5173232 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18350230 epoch_slot_no: 33430 block_no: 5173055 slot_leader_id: 4556294 size: 5563 time: 2021-01-06 07:02:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcc784b4a0f7f86491492c4cacdb11ea4804ee5e84b19e7cef39b57540451eaecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rgedf5ehp45jtrgkp8rmr225x6y3rd2tl5jp9m2s048s0u5nnzlqcqfq3t op_cert: \x6d62d58910a47f906b1b2d031aab62335c0d08cbfac36a451b8ce79435bda516 op_cert_counter: 5