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 5616431 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27376829 epoch_slot_no: 420029 block_no: 5616254 slot_leader_id: 4555520 size: 8391 time: 2021-04-20 18:25:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x04d20d4e965cbc87a6357bff2f53ed15160b62d405187014b044b98dd221a06aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1w7d6wrmwnmv967fwczseale2mp9d8e977mfc8x0gc3um7nadj9fqvkecw6 op_cert: \x9bd259ec2824f0d4e0bb34926e264cdbfcc98e4cea30051c744a8c855eff7ff2 op_cert_counter: 6