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 5617409 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 27397405 epoch_slot_no: 8605 block_no: 5617232 slot_leader_id: 4583744 size: 3026 time: 2021-04-21 00:08:16 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1725b9811b955d23e3f2fc70b06f70cd4229bcb8c627f3ebd025bd6a7f5f659dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u9sg4d2u8wqqaxp9uxfyh9ky4stt0fqmydvf4t8a8rn7suv6zjns2gavac op_cert: \x07e8caca2077867f32c9b6ab2febfe2329605356a0b95b2af0c6a8aced5dbebd op_cert_counter: 4