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 5173438 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18354436 epoch_slot_no: 37636 block_no: 5173261 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 1351 time: 2021-01-06 08:12:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x62db6546f428b33db44f27c7b7a48da1d4cd64ce86b6f18fcc69a2a0cfa6a4f0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x9617550c9a40974795e0a357bc666df220ec1ea393416e56c45005af63f82a98 op_cert_counter: 0