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 5178998 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 18466469 epoch_slot_no: 149669 block_no: 5178821 slot_leader_id: 4887481 size: 7311 time: 2021-01-07 15:19:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x84d8c162716d2fb39aa9720d91a007ecea6274be8273f17a0a5dc58f2a05a0d9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dx2ktt40y8lemd4rscv0te96wgxqlyc2jgt8lysgu0vls2akyktqxqufuy op_cert: \x1d87c65179ea5ae9fdb5193160e80cdbcbdb0ca2887fde2c7d4528eae972f0e3 op_cert_counter: 16