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 5178323 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18453224 epoch_slot_no: 136424 block_no: 5178146 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 3607 time: 2021-01-07 11:38:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xedd570199e3133dfdb1e3edce16e57f85e59f69c7904710f5f75e177c1bd3b82Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x34f665635371e2d4829d93c3afb489ae587e215be5919b89944cb1d38394e9cc op_cert_counter: 2