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 5173943 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 18365480 epoch_slot_no: 48680 block_no: 5173766 slot_leader_id: 4581482 size: 7364 time: 2021-01-06 11:16:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa8c4dc773ae0358a9404afa9304cc3205ad099137376bb7b9499b509de950d4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19ll73xtqa0yn8ls35xalw9n3g84mq0j24xuypfda4fu53cw4rxgqk7tyus op_cert: \x7cf140e338bc79debfb2894d0a79e5601181e93bbc3ae5dbc09eeef830a854ee op_cert_counter: 1