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 5173956 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 18365773 epoch_slot_no: 48973 block_no: 5173779 slot_leader_id: 4555557 size: 15829 time: 2021-01-06 11:21:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd131f6455483030320f5c0d8195544a4c3c80d8dd270582950dfe6fec5185efBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xlr4r9j95ns3p99myzrh9pzlrzgjhre2f2vtaj6jy5jeu7yskh3qdmkg9g op_cert: \x637eb7d958d97aee1f04d378a6b0bfb2c5b08e58b3e770def441bf4c2989dbe4 op_cert_counter: 4