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 5188582 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 18659607 epoch_slot_no: 342807 block_no: 5188405 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 7153 time: 2021-01-09 20:58:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5b595a24cdccfdd2cbbc177c4d0c296599d5e2be89dfda07a7ad329ff0661d6dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \xd18ddf032bb095da9c2eb95d41c5ac21ffc80de278db41c47ed811188fc97a62 op_cert_counter: 1