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 5159056 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18063958 epoch_slot_no: 179158 block_no: 5158879 slot_leader_id: 4564259 size: 1434 time: 2021-01-02 23:30:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca943375c52e30a6b0ab422a4653ea93189b46470702dd663eaf7da41ab1c71cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gdvfyt2slq5gjh8qw6u83t693uh5u8au6cgyjzk5p8v5tmp7qzpqztxpq6 op_cert: \x73ffe43f82e464cee5c05b5006b74b41f8a572c809d59903b142a46e5854a9ef op_cert_counter: 1