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 5617436 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 27397948 epoch_slot_no: 9148 block_no: 5617259 slot_leader_id: 4570972 size: 10511 time: 2021-04-21 00:17:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xff67471e540a8eebc1eb9606e6ab1505e21533cd64a5d034bd757c696a1cfe6aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17h2w9n2e7nvwjexlykmkvhhq2f95vrxjxc2kxqwxp93u5jhs58wsrj0328 op_cert: \x9a9c0f1eef8e607efd55a0c76e7eb640117f1b62174be1442c6af32add28c866 op_cert_counter: 3