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 5173659 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18359487 epoch_slot_no: 42687 block_no: 5173482 slot_leader_id: 4490691 size: 6172 time: 2021-01-06 09:36:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x87426153537dbad79c47a5a79d35bee701a3fccb9cbb8eae322b63d5cf77c328Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8d5uguzjzvmnwpu7cfx0x3eq4umsmqkdqk4m0w4ftsk07h9e99sxnsyzn op_cert: \xc2ba43457ef711a4dad9c19a540014dedfdaa27d13773857524a631613b42029 op_cert_counter: 1