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 5173997 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18366639 epoch_slot_no: 49839 block_no: 5173820 slot_leader_id: 4556341 size: 6363 time: 2021-01-06 11:35:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x54074a1f83c75ebe03d921515f85ca3d1400ccfebd8bdc96710bb1b7fec595b8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15lk075tpe6zurkvstvsghw9yytu2m5q4pffe7amhex3gtfkuqwyqhvutmv op_cert: \x8d8a9b25e1e27584b18a28962af32caeccab8fe19bdc18acb056f9ed538802fe op_cert_counter: 3