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 5178476 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18456282 epoch_slot_no: 139482 block_no: 5178299 slot_leader_id: 4938739 size: 687 time: 2021-01-07 12:29:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x898f42866195f2cde9e09c7d5b5e81a78f60ee53334a2847b6e932c0d1cb52aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pxrzcvkk0ckg9sddsalehsq5pnh6uq2pdkmk90se52tk2lw9snlq5eyuvw op_cert: \x7c13bd3490aa5244582e29fdabb5f0844dbcf34db0d56f4dc78e67289020c9a8 op_cert_counter: 0