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 5617045 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 50 slot_no: 27389998 epoch_slot_no: 1198 block_no: 5616868 slot_leader_id: 4838540 size: 15398 time: 2021-04-20 22:04:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa40f43d2cfefb2fb06680caa65cdf1d11f8bbea34e8e37f1e71213d4f9a9048eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rqp3v6trtshy6lw7gduj4rc9q8zlprxxedygfv9zk3un3mrvd84sr5rg4g op_cert: \x77d6e44c3c2c88af52289219aa3def78b06fccfd947f9aca95307b0048d72185 op_cert_counter: 3