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 5173870 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18363910 epoch_slot_no: 47110 block_no: 5173693 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 5446 time: 2021-01-06 10:50:01 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0ac9827e9b7b03bcdcc772a7a0e98de8b9dd02cf750fb1ab423b50ca098d7c7fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x7d57491c354acda3fad1cba2d1c7b2df332110dd8cb47d5ef40a59611f12e5e8 op_cert_counter: 2