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 5173431 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 18354351 epoch_slot_no: 37551 block_no: 5173254 slot_leader_id: 5002858 size: 6402 time: 2021-01-06 08:10:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x33998c0f80f2c465921856a576b4d6deafdfb39a161b5c7d39fa1874ec35168eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x7v9d7z7sx23dhlcazrlhf7erqct29tjnkkyyltmchg97ds54lmsyc78mf op_cert: \x784218d5bb5a1231cdb71e6fa73df9ad0319eeb7bef146516d3e738401bcc687 op_cert_counter: 0