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 5186617 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 18619974 epoch_slot_no: 303174 block_no: 5186440 slot_leader_id: 4695943 size: 3609 time: 2021-01-09 09:57:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9f963f154bade309aa77fe2722ada39318624d3be1fbd184252a6e5f070f16c9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wv3r7ltm5frdjvgyd3xadzgdj32dqavpv8rpzqrfhuw5f709pv7qxwclrm op_cert: \x53efd131a46073d6c3d789a68f8fe4f134b2dc5b467d83015d1f8100d2e3be46 op_cert_counter: 2