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 5180057 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 18487844 epoch_slot_no: 171044 block_no: 5179880 slot_leader_id: 4597335 size: 9747 time: 2021-01-07 21:15:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x30588c1bf20a2bec22d23730d91be86e35e87cd9aceeffe1a7b2a0793fa13cefBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c45u9wr39gaavdt048pane84krytuvmnqp9gsn5jy27zrxvy3nus7fqcuh op_cert: \xba541fca13426a487a14be996e1c4f5341a98309fe661872558bf88cc0664dd4 op_cert_counter: 2