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 5182674 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18540876 epoch_slot_no: 224076 block_no: 5182497 slot_leader_id: 5150783 size: 1390 time: 2021-01-08 11:59:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3540465671df5dbd5ce2c86a97c3a57b151f4320f8d41ff4cd01dec8c9c16d46Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk137t5pjh25r79yfmm746s430zp3mu7dl7dvgd2rgjectju7qm5juq5p6e5e op_cert: \xa19315b168c18bf41f85047a6acf74fe8fd1fa3164f2daf834da1481ba8716fe op_cert_counter: 0