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 5478168 Details
Epoch: 254 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 24531220 epoch_slot_no: 166420 block_no: 5477991 slot_leader_id: 5442898 size: 31235 time: 2021-03-18 19:58:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3afdc1862f8531732666f455881246b941a8a0f7647e46d9cb9b8bbbec0e5bdbBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18ys466yz8u65l6nr33r96pg5rjmj0gt7c5dx27hjk3g2t2vatrjq78mdga op_cert: \x5db685770d0cd93c93718333441d12ae22db2db56ae74d37e0f563a15376e372 op_cert_counter: 7