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 5473686 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 24436767 epoch_slot_no: 71967 block_no: 5473509 slot_leader_id: 4962621 size: 5783 time: 2021-03-17 17:44:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x34abeb6bd2bb25d6b3f268ee017063a9720e030f959491fee41bbb843a77f3aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qs40s2r4qhygpq8va07ntwrpptd7ak6vnpskmqqctdz5d5z9y6ysv6ext5 op_cert: \xba9939b725d0cf3054345afd15e7648d1d657657974f6e72b6ac4413c781a14c op_cert_counter: 2