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 5173660 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18359549 epoch_slot_no: 42749 block_no: 5173483 slot_leader_id: 4659694 size: 5051 time: 2021-01-06 09:37:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a48e054de7add141404b63d0b71260f62f5054919101aec2c2fb45361ebd2f9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12x7vke6e4stqyztquk0gmyj5jg9s04fjvpwzvagcz7e9h3704djs2zyyt9 op_cert: \xb36f833f62e18980905c662ebce350a593dc5e47aeea3b7d4ee27e84b64bec6c op_cert_counter: 3