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 5178645 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 18459476 epoch_slot_no: 142676 block_no: 5178468 slot_leader_id: 5151352 size: 10346 time: 2021-01-07 13:22:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x45b19c1d6abe056482fd5285bb36fb514435d65651ac7aafc8b78dfb44acffbcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dn6zlgggmrmj9as5lzanrvtdsjkwltlj24jv0k7n30d6rspmfnwqtw67ay op_cert: \x01ef81ae483cae9b8e1710998ec7c0f4e7dcaa69e33ffd41851b015ae9a318c7 op_cert_counter: 0