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 5617242 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 27393984 epoch_slot_no: 5184 block_no: 5617065 slot_leader_id: 4571889 size: 4741 time: 2021-04-20 23:11:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x586dec7697b28b7de1018d81b8db75a5ea1dca42d1a511d728182ddaf7fbf821Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10sfjs922rrnx85gj7c9hffpnp04azhrnnc9nghrdajtchl8r205q79ucp0 op_cert: \x80003235a830ec0cc098519afb0f53ce394890ffb9c945708f80d27333114c96 op_cert_counter: 11