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 5186489 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18617344 epoch_slot_no: 300544 block_no: 5186312 slot_leader_id: 5151014 size: 4998 time: 2021-01-09 09:13:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x498a21d80d60aae0580efece5f436537bbb021fb67f502834bdcd79a2e4ce0e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdyaecd6mh3ppupjmkdy285kaptkmxr2un7mzl7pwvsyz6cgvqgsq5l3gn op_cert: \x4b37f8a8e0342187335569e811d855083d599684b0a0eff5c9f584568efc490d op_cert_counter: 0