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 5617286 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 27394761 epoch_slot_no: 5961 block_no: 5617109 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 2158 time: 2021-04-20 23:24:12 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e56a9370d341b4613b7ad58fb1dcdb15735c019238d09d9bd8069f5c1b7d5eeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \xfce25fae990d869fd76f101ba95be2c653fd15fe26c5e2f520b907dd04d181f9 op_cert_counter: 1