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 5178534 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18457487 epoch_slot_no: 140687 block_no: 5178357 slot_leader_id: 4490691 size: 5832 time: 2021-01-07 12:49:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x7d97458d8b836b47451b29e8a26445877336a2344454bd09875aed970b85e08fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8d5uguzjzvmnwpu7cfx0x3eq4umsmqkdqk4m0w4ftsk07h9e99sxnsyzn op_cert: \xc2ba43457ef711a4dad9c19a540014dedfdaa27d13773857524a631613b42029 op_cert_counter: 1