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 5518617 Details
Epoch: 256 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 25360031 epoch_slot_no: 131231 block_no: 5518440 slot_leader_id: 5094299 size: 10294 time: 2021-03-28 10:12:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x58807ffb40eea0630affaaa34d4b0abbd07f97f67331025971b21ef82640fd9dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dp6u0vcx693plp3dg4agltuntrzn2fyt75mfcgc83w5aguu0gexs3mxmm2 op_cert: \xfa4822f31e8527ffdc758d8eb0855143ca232810503bd07eacdd3fb72e8c666b op_cert_counter: 2