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 5173628 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18358874 epoch_slot_no: 42074 block_no: 5173451 slot_leader_id: 5089566 size: 1489 time: 2021-01-06 09:26:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6f8f30709d1ed52499187c53ab7deacf9d02a8717723888a4193e3107265a24fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tj359qd82tmr9rhrj54u67aag4hxrq2ddhkxwglzzgrt6d25v5mqyktmlx op_cert: \x9a48f3c839af0f964e40a3967763990a1017f447cbfabe5762ea432acf4b2808 op_cert_counter: 1