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 5617039 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 47 slot_no: 27389841 epoch_slot_no: 1041 block_no: 5616862 slot_leader_id: 5449407 size: 40250 time: 2021-04-20 22:02:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb7cdd0227438d901d89550ca59ef5cc0c74b1b8777631f7b9c6a850c266d15eaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u35v66v0ku3n2f93gx3ye49wc8g937wcfu38tjec8swg87cghp5scc59a5 op_cert: \x7e37fa60082591f8fcccfaf18c4b769ea5af3f74b0edf05527359b97b248b21b op_cert_counter: 2