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 5180436 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 18495651 epoch_slot_no: 178851 block_no: 5180259 slot_leader_id: 5151482 size: 7173 time: 2021-01-07 23:25:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38f9192c7ff6ed658138dc5ae895bbaa4d9451be0c3c685a21208c07cf97927eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zcjxl3gs09fmwwvy4tz5vgqsxtu7crrj6r4cntakp08htpkhw4qswskdm7 op_cert: \xfc1878713110d3f544ab0d476a3b0f48d6907f7d4c8fb8197e484d2a005b98fe op_cert_counter: 0