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 5176539 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18418217 epoch_slot_no: 101417 block_no: 5176362 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 3063 time: 2021-01-07 01:55:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xca2f659728f76fac39f0e70b1582b68029dfd65b53e5bad7e41c7fa9713d4a29Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xc8feecd8122d2567e942bbe4cde08368eb74b52c3e84a699344454e2748edd96 op_cert_counter: 3