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 5173905 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18364647 epoch_slot_no: 47847 block_no: 5173728 slot_leader_id: 4659694 size: 3299 time: 2021-01-06 11:02:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xef283d05a4848b818dc378d71ed94a80b1507f618edbaa5b325e6cdc0e11ee60Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12x7vke6e4stqyztquk0gmyj5jg9s04fjvpwzvagcz7e9h3704djs2zyyt9 op_cert: \xb36f833f62e18980905c662ebce350a593dc5e47aeea3b7d4ee27e84b64bec6c op_cert_counter: 3