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 5617297 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27394961 epoch_slot_no: 6161 block_no: 5617120 slot_leader_id: 5236443 size: 6895 time: 2021-04-20 23:27:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x84d393b93b6448fd67434477bc2e79a350c6345eca026faa1edad386f54c4f0bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gentgp95j4c5eevqrh0gnsxunr7suzjexsrymkd5ddmvuf8hxssqksqq5j op_cert: \x434c2660a61e5d7b8801ba9413978a6e0fbdff01f31e7a902732c2b6da718972 op_cert_counter: 1