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 5174334 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18373970 epoch_slot_no: 57170 block_no: 5174157 slot_leader_id: 4556416 size: 8351 time: 2021-01-06 13:37:41 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x773d7e11b4c154d3fdd820a7376d432225133140a264acdc462c31c99b4aac1eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17d54jy4dkx773tg6flm43qwj7v6ahf208wkats9ugt33mnvys7xqxpqc76 op_cert: \xebd440a58904475277f0cffa6ada4171be3818ac0219c6ca0a7e38a6449a4596 op_cert_counter: 3