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 5174378 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18374842 epoch_slot_no: 58042 block_no: 5174201 slot_leader_id: 5150767 size: 9299 time: 2021-01-06 13:52:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1377eb322dd91d5bee14c86718ae3d8f8159b353645ab36029715feaf9c3777fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1azdclg750qyp9n2yp2ps4m0kf68sswccg4k5e0g7vjtcgwzlerkqs6sp0y op_cert: \xd9ae666c7c7e5bc3d2c2e42bff90080284ea875cc29ae6d6892729048cf2cd4a op_cert_counter: 0