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 5609686 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 27238660 epoch_slot_no: 281860 block_no: 5609509 slot_leader_id: 4986022 size: 14509 time: 2021-04-19 04:02:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x966505735dd11c51b3f21e599e9222042437b9215160c304bd319134f79583eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19swxhma6hlcf6srrj67njjua4kh088n48prkdf5s2d8h6x8j23fsyyu7gk op_cert: \x76f4cd4bc72681dd0b23afd8f3e52163bca7b00469aa1b3513421d098a625c69 op_cert_counter: 2