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 5617537 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 27400091 epoch_slot_no: 11291 block_no: 5617360 slot_leader_id: 4605544 size: 7590 time: 2021-04-21 00:53:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe23d0a4e4dd2f059cee4eafca5ce4426883b6b3231d2c7624f03604592ef8c3aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1phkelt7mecrq8as6vxxdtsyhhe57jc6g0ph9llt5red73kr2k0tswymgjs op_cert: \x98e04e1a595cd24a134a0b48a1026ca95d2c06929ab66cf71c7bef0f64afeb32 op_cert_counter: 3