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 5177219 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18431423 epoch_slot_no: 114623 block_no: 5177042 slot_leader_id: 5051550 size: 8602 time: 2021-01-07 05:35:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1a050c878de9dde608e36b5ba66b1ccaf7d6edc4b059854c89069c090f1ed28eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19k8v3502qlrgvu7m2d3626xltyzwl27appag5kt6dd39m8vlptlquzuk09 op_cert: \xf7bb66dbee84249b00623d7fbb4a8581969cee22f851b136bf17cd09948a19cc op_cert_counter: 0