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 5174048 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18367727 epoch_slot_no: 50927 block_no: 5173871 slot_leader_id: 5150684 size: 8976 time: 2021-01-06 11:53:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4249447fc926391d9439e58bc9b156f919b7358476eebb874773a3d65654eae9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1znpcyauy5w2fkpnhm97y7r6wt3jdkgla0kvvmesymrk36us2vptsl3d784 op_cert: \xb504fd7eb0960bf673b8598bb57dff92b93bc4de535d78aa6f52c717cb7c4473 op_cert_counter: 0