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 5178426 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18455401 epoch_slot_no: 138601 block_no: 5178249 slot_leader_id: 4962722 size: 6152 time: 2021-01-07 12:14:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5260d8a47295185f0db875a07705aee0165bc7fd2ed4a363c0726051ddcad6b5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kacg7yqlp57wuxn80dsgzt8mhdkugqv783aqvkvtxggylel568rqy6cceh op_cert: \x5ac2e57bbd45d8f43960490bd3a08b497ef8282d33b0c73c3053ca8c4ad8c6de op_cert_counter: 1