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 5189041 Details
Epoch: 240 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 18668469 epoch_slot_no: 351669 block_no: 5188864 slot_leader_id: 4555427 size: 9519 time: 2021-01-09 23:26:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbca85d72c0c0b86b37e60a4dbf46b5f0a260fc7e99016ed9c5b2affbb01e2f4eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17w5znxxj6l3ru8q3tw450a8axsgkp65x3t53fpkvlhuwuc57zdpqlaaczd op_cert: \x2e8040cc4355178fd904b4e701cd665ea8d16d3294c3a4eadee4da0276c0830d op_cert_counter: 4