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 5163286 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18149152 epoch_slot_no: 264352 block_no: 5163109 slot_leader_id: 4561198 size: 3589 time: 2021-01-03 23:10:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x86d78329a06ec9fd61bf79c8ec234b028249193fd4b2f6e07b1feb0e46ff067dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14v678y92lxpd0k8hra8zn7av9jgvudznkcea4lcj2gpzqkpj2weqv00kxz op_cert: \x057aea142853236d595d0c6809767342f425925c7652c746fefad0bed53e37b8 op_cert_counter: 3