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 5173536 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 18356576 epoch_slot_no: 39776 block_no: 5173359 slot_leader_id: 5051928 size: 2234 time: 2021-01-06 08:47:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa3e39c032eb84c2ea60299ef36a37069abe9fb96a62ad6727f35b0d52d19d5faBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dv6d47qc6w8z4x8p2mmmqexd3khw6pt083r2jn6ztxckkcy9y6hqszrgpv op_cert: \xa3b367f4979f3a1014b62b5a0f1cf0e04519ff74db9dfda8175148f911274872 op_cert_counter: 1