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 5138209 Details
Epoch: 238 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 17638977 epoch_slot_no: 186177 block_no: 5138032 slot_leader_id: 4556102 size: 15631 time: 2020-12-29 01:27:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x06fe997925057ef16549706604c4e06e734dd52ef4114c4971d30d604eb2185dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w4dsu3xp2v2rqzfz22t906sea38xk29htmzfm950egxa7s65sp9symvnkx op_cert: \x641ecd3825694c5040cb0b1eef90a2e1798d8a117a84bfb463df288d04138dfd op_cert_counter: 2