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 5173862 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18363732 epoch_slot_no: 46932 block_no: 5173685 slot_leader_id: 4577284 size: 3537 time: 2021-01-06 10:47:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf872b3aadc24ad923b6763ca446173ac36271a6c2d466686345cd8f836780c8bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fry5jp72cm57asmqp5hv9rsk2twlnxfx5mlqmc2thlp22f4ma2zs4gz2f4 op_cert: \x181a873ae065f5e7308c11827658c1cb18f3d8e441980492e147333c6833ac15 op_cert_counter: 28