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 5617729 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 27404072 epoch_slot_no: 15272 block_no: 5617552 slot_leader_id: 5355092 size: 12084 time: 2021-04-21 01:59:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8b4ff16b07353f815f5ee77d8a2003d4fb53178bbeeadfbbb77ce23b261b144dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ankshstfu8yml8xrsrmsf4qzvtrfwmnles5zqnerwzlnxzwt602sl5qvms op_cert: \xd87b3de84782d691120beb9ad68b7fec2891e7604e1514b3429e608f9f3012e1 op_cert_counter: 1