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 5617502 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 31 slot_no: 27399258 epoch_slot_no: 10458 block_no: 5617325 slot_leader_id: 4662751 size: 12993 time: 2021-04-21 00:39:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf6b3ae688cdce90bca1598bd49bca805813a2be93fd8148dbdb3c2d863e6657fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wytjcwdhdzscs33j6qzp9vtq4z9eg7s335x2r6n0mx6cskk9m76qkkk3j2 op_cert: \x52809428d07500ad107999ecbdefbcaf03ce2089c6d9961b0578a330da5d0164 op_cert_counter: 3