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 5617317 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 42 slot_no: 27395388 epoch_slot_no: 6588 block_no: 5617140 slot_leader_id: 4578577 size: 21694 time: 2021-04-20 23:34:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb7896b0ad9d5f144ea6627eb06712c0087210d56244c6525271d7166dbe19dcfBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lknw8t34xzv42lucahfnd9jjnux8kvk00l3d06nmmg5zjy03m4gsv8r09n op_cert: \xf3d0be19b83ec4405dc58cd036aa0fcafcd0914b08871219cbf412933fa09106 op_cert_counter: 3