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 5188417 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 18656507 epoch_slot_no: 339707 block_no: 5188240 slot_leader_id: 4576734 size: 3217 time: 2021-01-09 20:06:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x130c871257a804e06cbf5e2330758b579cae56987e28c4ad17edb8f2eb0420a7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fn3agt7xmk39nath728znyshgtjkwzqmddawqvtffzaz7wxv07yqtr3usw op_cert: \x83f360c5f8a9d610329193eef7c4cac11f3b47d372b2e6195c364133e73c7bc8 op_cert_counter: 1