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 5174311 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 18373594 epoch_slot_no: 56794 block_no: 5174134 slot_leader_id: 4633520 size: 6604 time: 2021-01-06 13:31:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68b75a722eb70e6cc31e4bbf5191e8828ea04e3b5c65c96b37876ce42e8c535bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qtfnpacu3kmr92tyfztcswj44ee0pav0h47kmw7ylqh65r3lf5js7ut334 op_cert: \x9ca998d942603e07ca89766ef666688c63bfdf7f373f69d513e04d3e8dbd3cae op_cert_counter: 1