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 5174001 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18366736 epoch_slot_no: 49936 block_no: 5173824 slot_leader_id: 4581138 size: 13911 time: 2021-01-06 11:37:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a26f2fb0d9be63bb861f6a357ae7083c6f21b1cef77e2c0096b43822ba7956cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ulzq58u0kerl59x6fpfqrzf0xqxfwh02zyphngvrz05jc7efahssw82nrn op_cert: \xd3e1ca1ad83ce1147e1a659f1a9ca37254b4293a56298943f9f25f31117c58ce op_cert_counter: 3