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 5177949 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18446017 epoch_slot_no: 129217 block_no: 5177772 slot_leader_id: 4577416 size: 3016 time: 2021-01-07 09:38:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa99d6ad25bb8cba97c10086e511ddbde09323c9d055b6d67ff22000a901f8e31Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mfvuefhs88w7u5ue5qjm4c85ntamlhcnmvw2qdjwkpcena2pfcdsn97av0 op_cert: \x408e37bf30fdd23dbe62103aa0132b90a94fe0dcdd41f5f7387cdbd5b3148533 op_cert_counter: 2