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 5174508 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 18377766 epoch_slot_no: 60966 block_no: 5174331 slot_leader_id: 5045180 size: 7557 time: 2021-01-06 14:40:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa7181dc1a39a3fe6f1ccf62c08e44c8a83e55f3ce716e306e2048d34bad1de5dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a7ugpa948480jl5dw3czlr2gqq65cq7679ckh0afv9l707z2wxsq9kyetc op_cert: \xb31dfdbe25cd7f74ba1c558a87a580bfb5c27fa19ee6f198f36e8b6b3b13b6f2 op_cert_counter: 0