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 5616501 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 27378182 epoch_slot_no: 421382 block_no: 5616324 slot_leader_id: 4558946 size: 8130 time: 2021-04-20 18:47:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x41d41f03ece98cfac2624a06626c5a535089a8c855652bb4c61211ab818d2f3eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pj8n7cv07gn4s83vnxgnh3l4m0uqunud2hfmn6d203v6gjvn6jfq9yanjy op_cert: \x759c69fb01788b0193c78aeede91cecd7f92f60634122646d49a74018317df35 op_cert_counter: 3