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 5188448 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18657232 epoch_slot_no: 340432 block_no: 5188271 slot_leader_id: 5086724 size: 13818 time: 2021-01-09 20:18:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1c6cff39c1b40d89befe19f846bb8781d38b515969616c1c3aa54610f0aa296cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk186jq39pep95205pewyzpvl56p6k0jk2yegevxtn9f8cgkxhm0ecqtul4e5 op_cert: \x77073181c3bbef47030ff39bab1aba3df1a2bcf3c078f95d02bed528d36f2ed6 op_cert_counter: 1