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 5186456 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 18616545 epoch_slot_no: 299745 block_no: 5186279 slot_leader_id: 4556710 size: 4039 time: 2021-01-09 09:00:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x086b71dedab97eef3e722903bacbe002eda1619e72aadbd056f46e966b7c2195Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7hp0pzn78w05cu8d66tfzvr3yy8qua60vera0epcxnj47hsmw4qzzg85v op_cert: \xa4f21c051f0c7be7aa224d581f4ba611458fc7ffa21c2641f84bac93ac80e1c9 op_cert_counter: 5