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 5178836 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 18463300 epoch_slot_no: 146500 block_no: 5178659 slot_leader_id: 4490693 size: 8855 time: 2021-01-07 14:26:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x23198a17669d36305e9235ba0978b509dd603a81826295f6615387a40f0a572aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ytuuajlv7wvxj57qr6j5ycx69l54ks5nzswqwyn4fhhec6dtdjgsqmzku7 op_cert: \xc3f4df19deb4c22a2c4926602bad720dcbe32f0ad5d37e01ec2b75e28fada426 op_cert_counter: 1