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 5318507 Details
Epoch: 246 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 21276862 epoch_slot_no: 368062 block_no: 5318330 slot_leader_id: 4635407 size: 7976 time: 2021-02-09 03:59:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x18c3a2f7cea77670dd3a148a70efb36335ca76dee13679e581c6965da1373f88Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17zsj096a5hd2kjgnpmfewqa09kkzwzjh4hkezhjkk9anxexhsr7sftrehd op_cert: \xa02d5061a7e44ec1e9db4a9b4bfdf125932ec97c4e84244467471cbe7662c023 op_cert_counter: 2