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 5173850 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18363547 epoch_slot_no: 46747 block_no: 5173673 slot_leader_id: 5063926 size: 8311 time: 2021-01-06 10:43:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26c496c8e72f74b469114f09199eea946233521f9c1962348bfdaa660f44a96aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecyeq8gg3r007ualzq6f6ulwa8e7ze86w9qz40gkjjrl7ca5v7rqkuj2v4 op_cert: \x0f8d0bb00a0bd0a66a9a8af23a55a24b8546c803f063280d01d1574df51e50a8 op_cert_counter: 7