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 5178137 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18449773 epoch_slot_no: 132973 block_no: 5177960 slot_leader_id: 4587418 size: 3691 time: 2021-01-07 10:41:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa152b750472d0965ed1659e936fdb514f41103efd09b17ced21e517afb65d45fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn86jqjs756ch5t0muq8dfugxxwfvrwnh4mkj2nkxlavmagwy37sx59pej op_cert: \x77b813640129f4cc7ecf2a902d1681cb041d010bdc6fec199b2a820f080b5176 op_cert_counter: 3