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 5617172 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 27392616 epoch_slot_no: 3816 block_no: 5616995 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 2276 time: 2021-04-20 22:48:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x978e1425b533236c30db1de3592626cd381c79f3f42ac4d1bbb4aeb7c56a3203Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \x03bb69b68a9fa9f597e41e0be3aab507a8e3ee700cd98cdd92dc65df58191fcb op_cert_counter: 2