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 5341173 Details
Epoch: 247 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 21732483 epoch_slot_no: 391683 block_no: 5340996 slot_leader_id: 5152386 size: 7367 time: 2021-02-14 10:32:54 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x578d70f1b24ee98d9c403fb54db6ae605dd339173ed4d85a594577c54129799aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vr20la7r92sf2j8pgk5mv0l0vaqu2twe7mxqm69hh2zu855pa23s049qnc op_cert: \x3df5cefa1c380decc13eb38184877469fd3d5955602ebbfc3970f15a88fd3e3a op_cert_counter: 1