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 5178418 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18455169 epoch_slot_no: 138369 block_no: 5178241 slot_leader_id: 4982013 size: 3446 time: 2021-01-07 12:11:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3181db80172501549e96bb5cac0825d502951b25b22a51d7e36e1b4d51e69a67Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1086r9sefs2vuhxzztxkp9ttzvugxazv3v8whudg9y597dwfz6nms6we9dc op_cert: \xa5d8e9c52647935ca6c1312933abe9efb6fa731f9ccfd8c9b7cea0673e3f4fd0 op_cert_counter: 0