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 5186521 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 18617869 epoch_slot_no: 301069 block_no: 5186344 slot_leader_id: 4938682 size: 1157 time: 2021-01-09 09:22:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01f22d53daf014026d5807dbd86f3e4868b993ca13261d18f61bc16180fa6223Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1df8a8lr4ha0tlq04727jqastncnfly6sw3ks38afd0mlxp5pzdzsqds5xr op_cert: \x068ec80efbe12237420446c5c445bfd59c019b156eecad5054d6feaea444591f op_cert_counter: 0