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 5177085 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18428732 epoch_slot_no: 111932 block_no: 5176908 slot_leader_id: 4640685 size: 6739 time: 2021-01-07 04:50:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc9d966dc209efe0b89d72c191fb245e49678599ecd2385b852a7b9ba7a758c5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12fjnfgfyqpdqu9tl6rjlyn63anxc49yptvyxfya2fd202p9gmxksnlzvk7 op_cert: \xb61d07a19a6d4e389edebf418390d42917854a820b788901c8f58232983be650 op_cert_counter: 1