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 5178548 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 18457689 epoch_slot_no: 140889 block_no: 5178371 slot_leader_id: 5087233 size: 786 time: 2021-01-07 12:53:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdf3dabadb369613f4ccb0f3ee32333673a701602e26791430847a0eaf23af3d1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1arn8q3kuvzpek0udj847gufwkf5gml2w5gz2r4rhwqlxjmszq6zq8jks0p op_cert: \x2d09af18c951e94e21cdac924c81e1a71d2e2ac00143a35528eb6ea9102733fd op_cert_counter: 1