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 5180109 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18488973 epoch_slot_no: 172173 block_no: 5179932 slot_leader_id: 5087380 size: 7615 time: 2021-01-07 21:34:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xddda9f2a265c7e7510e6110b188f1e0dc66b4cce46c6a35b3070d2183a62984bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wmj8urtu3pfk8nhqux53myxpw22yqjyyk3dh390d7hl599gq53psqd44xf op_cert: \x4480377f28409d192feeb0f825ee0ff420a0ad2265f9ee8a4ad839ce0dc78fd3 op_cert_counter: 1