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 5178225 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18451402 epoch_slot_no: 134602 block_no: 5178048 slot_leader_id: 4624978 size: 1599 time: 2021-01-07 11:08:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9891c5f2ba9f27c6de2b341a8c7659c30e7dc40cfd13a38beb51f366802af26fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u70fuazllxqtjj40f5pp7r2ujhgj2t8nuuekpslhd4mq54tdakxqenh0g2 op_cert: \x30b4ece9da00b7bf1a2dd58175b35dbdcb33e48d3eb173acf22ee5a0d5f969a9 op_cert_counter: 2