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 5178660 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18459848 epoch_slot_no: 143048 block_no: 5178483 slot_leader_id: 4983283 size: 8663 time: 2021-01-07 13:28:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd1452d4bd21a9faff1a5b47c01e050c266725a2aa13d3b800698476ed1acf88cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rz8xg6xvljsywl5knlxycyzv3j0d3nyeezm6elzee958lzl9fvyqq353xd op_cert: \xea455ca1db19df6d931312ef255e5db298b42fb79854eb5883b5b51c26410ac7 op_cert_counter: 0