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 5178219 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 18451208 epoch_slot_no: 134408 block_no: 5178042 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 385 time: 2021-01-07 11:04:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd25b36102ad70d7adc75811d2560ae5cc48f2ddee6f96ae4342ab856d255b1ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x630841ef8196768255eb8372e41166d4d58c28475ba459e3c6c3599c910c50f6 op_cert_counter: 3