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 5616523 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27378498 epoch_slot_no: 421698 block_no: 5616346 slot_leader_id: 4556473 size: 8723 time: 2021-04-20 18:53:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8dcae069b16543637360f9a1070e65950532438778f850fff667d82b359df40fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wqptsu5qtu77rtvghckm2knuykntte2egfaqa4duc328p4q6rjls569vn3 op_cert: \xc93a5f234c9226abb1765ec1adb5bf05eb5e5382c721bdf9d6bddeea93b4834f op_cert_counter: 5