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 5173507 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 18356033 epoch_slot_no: 39233 block_no: 5173330 slot_leader_id: 4558946 size: 2473 time: 2021-01-06 08:38:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc8b514e39b0c512d319ebe282db8947f268478e3f946c30bca2a316416c4aefaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pj8n7cv07gn4s83vnxgnh3l4m0uqunud2hfmn6d203v6gjvn6jfq9yanjy op_cert: \x260a250c69c318507658b6d76e3586666078bf5eb35b154d8c5124bfa0fb6b9f op_cert_counter: 2