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 5616517 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 27378397 epoch_slot_no: 421597 block_no: 5616340 slot_leader_id: 4963072 size: 1202 time: 2021-04-20 18:51:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3902f6c74d5387be8f71014d2456aa2dbebc139e9aa0c0b0378e89c0a7b69b5aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dl59hndn0nlz9hryax4rd6quq8njrjva9fx7aylj78spk3xks3dsugmqf7 op_cert: \xd86f6cdfa0805307173415f8e0d4a2f7119529d91190708cd94d8337d940ced9 op_cert_counter: 2