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 5179618 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 18478987 epoch_slot_no: 162187 block_no: 5179441 slot_leader_id: 4490692 size: 19521 time: 2021-01-07 18:47:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5b940ca342d0ede15e9cf3c377d0eb2ea381e81cef1b7495359c57298cfc723aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dvwps7slwsmaq70yzsctd20u0v5mym5te8zxw2892yafxp8jyfhsvjjnqh op_cert: \xf13a49a4cef62444acf41ba4e92bbe66b6390165add42dfa50cf5a741ed66fa8 op_cert_counter: 1