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 5185786 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18603311 epoch_slot_no: 286511 block_no: 5185609 slot_leader_id: 5023414 size: 1122 time: 2021-01-09 05:20:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73996eb44635575ca623fe2938c95df9d270f8ad8a94d0aaa7f7de083e3a8b6bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h945kjjuye0rr2xdh663taxcqf5xm4wcm8rq2w7lcltp5cs7uacqytxhka op_cert: \x98e4063fce083cb527d6bc47d223612908dd35c47c1725a7bbb3934395f38b6b op_cert_counter: 0