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 5178234 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18451594 epoch_slot_no: 134794 block_no: 5178057 slot_leader_id: 4667804 size: 5562 time: 2021-01-07 11:11:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5e9e02e15cd60266ca1360cf63db58e165e730139bb9c5cedf99859dbae8169cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14at7y60fllfyeagcr7s69etwmmy58qgtkavfmnguu60u540c4vmsdsh0tp op_cert: \x3e723a6e695f2e6a1bdab096d2aa10b99d83fd8b609c1c3793160d8a829bffb6 op_cert_counter: 4