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 5178488 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18456539 epoch_slot_no: 139739 block_no: 5178311 slot_leader_id: 4562385 size: 1377 time: 2021-01-07 12:33:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8c2c96d4179bd195106f8c0c750e5cb3a9cc688001dcd44773caa685bf075db2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vd3qj9mfjmy0gasa06mdsjkrsk0w90vqu4jtfyj3jlz28979whqqpc7rke op_cert: \xde10979f6d65149b6d1026ff7503e2cf1655cfaebd5fd7bec071fcdb95bbbe62 op_cert_counter: 2