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 5604686 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 27138066 epoch_slot_no: 181266 block_no: 5604509 slot_leader_id: 4562380 size: 6862 time: 2021-04-18 00:05:57 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xdb415857991ae4dea1813db51f8d34adaa80db3d837e5172abff1973ece3b44fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p57alctgyg0d4r37twhf88pgylucq9vlwtwgjkxa75x29gehuecsptrtxt op_cert: \x2b54759a56fa15b1b6613ce57b4c5813ea98db8cfbc52a5d1beeb2ed626fa393 op_cert_counter: 2