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 5617371 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 27396645 epoch_slot_no: 7845 block_no: 5617194 slot_leader_id: 5087464 size: 673 time: 2021-04-20 23:55:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3e68f1f249c052cecbd1af61cbd0393cf0c30cabf3b6de37ea0d2a4557f58feaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1djvdnqh53rpga036nhsg2xap3x0hpffvya58azdq00y5e4hlhmwsw5kgu3 op_cert: \xd2df214640544cec281d6dfac0ec487f05962eeea1f0ca7f981ab34f6c9a53f5 op_cert_counter: 3