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 5168398 Details
Epoch: 239 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18251914 epoch_slot_no: 367114 block_no: 5168221 slot_leader_id: 4571896 size: 4748 time: 2021-01-05 03:43:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4d99574be1bcab92d55acbf7ccd50376206943d6d9cbdc20f650def45f49f58aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dk5fmrhwjvymenqtx0ts8t82gec6ljfxgtv8a8w659g43yfh2rase8wt5w op_cert: \x794a23404d1e15ded7c87aeeff717ebc3a88a2f64232e5b3d4c26d7f90fbbe56 op_cert_counter: 3