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 5174249 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18372157 epoch_slot_no: 55357 block_no: 5174072 slot_leader_id: 4998911 size: 11243 time: 2021-01-06 13:07:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x819a74319a069b16e7173113ed96c8dce0e626ae63cb5678ae7bfab8d7827c3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cqvnc6lc46cgcktxe6g2uvah6dkape4lqznvhkkrg6y70d6srauscr23fk op_cert: \x6c8c0798b0a066d045d64cba6b5a8609a4dd8fc8d92082d6ec847a285fe217d0 op_cert_counter: 0