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 5617658 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 27402511 epoch_slot_no: 13711 block_no: 5617481 slot_leader_id: 4559948 size: 10483 time: 2021-04-21 01:33:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x79988b86d4a71173ddc13a09541ade8f3c0d6289450fe4ebc55bcf583eca27aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17f6d6lhqs57df92c2ju3ymqmq5uqaxk7drxxr96mj4cz6s37300q9y3av8 op_cert: \x93c5c193e390fc6db1c2f5ba76bccdd5de4710c8aef4f01ad063226f3c2906f3 op_cert_counter: 5