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 5178173 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18450348 epoch_slot_no: 133548 block_no: 5177996 slot_leader_id: 4586341 size: 5588 time: 2021-01-07 10:50:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe3e6e572468796a42afa762475e89594459509e429822f7eaee7656688f2a112Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rpe8smeujgprr4zh7lkpap3uuafzf6tncgsnvl429tpmt6r35wyqy87aph op_cert: \xde6fa59e9cc8b28ca31c7e0e6ce2803bc2b4d2d9e9ea1e7081e9eba9b75a9b8a op_cert_counter: 1