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 5317617 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 21258546 epoch_slot_no: 349746 block_no: 5317440 slot_leader_id: 4598518 size: 5106 time: 2021-02-08 22:53:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74cffef9292b70f76c71ee8d80f8ea0a9a985b8dc4e21740835d6174875bef8aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8ugl3vv734dx4c3k23wtqya2pcec7gjv7mamcth2qwqhcr45fdsw9lugj op_cert: \xf4af415ad14b2d427f837e3e18863fa3861db0864ab0922e177a6aeef7b08a8a op_cert_counter: 4