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 5179861 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 18484099 epoch_slot_no: 167299 block_no: 5179684 slot_leader_id: 4964312 size: 7140 time: 2021-01-07 20:13:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4cfd744fb5814719189ea96a984c96f1108c0d2871fa776758f6dcc9f4a0f24dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1srs2y8nn0a4umvk9dxq9tle7r2g9gphm0vv0j65crkvne2ys98ssr5wlht op_cert: \xbe73cbe177ce5e538d05fa853ffa8e2cae72ad29058914a675fb62852cfb8a83 op_cert_counter: 1