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 5178643 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 18459392 epoch_slot_no: 142592 block_no: 5178466 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 8515 time: 2021-01-07 13:21:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2b506e32f733017ae52ab2bc35bd485154b0c3aacb45bdfa4cea139fd18ebab3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \xcc5da5108ae2c4a701ae206991180a8579be3e009da72e518799a50cc64fe264 op_cert_counter: 4