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 5173440 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 18354483 epoch_slot_no: 37683 block_no: 5173263 slot_leader_id: 4576881 size: 5821 time: 2021-01-06 08:12:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbc6edc7bdd48c86b63662a7560d6a546d393c605ef7b7ff76872aff2f498d3cfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12985ww0m8m62c9swggnwnf36h38vc9jjd4mdvtcu3suuyvfcw97swhgdv8 op_cert: \x7636d0cd12375a46117e6a0f752e6a87130103e2a79a859a929e4abd7533cf95 op_cert_counter: 2