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 5617734 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 27404160 epoch_slot_no: 15360 block_no: 5617557 slot_leader_id: 5086889 size: 4555 time: 2021-04-21 02:00:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x947d5cbfc3209c2ca95d32b5c40e20cd9138ca60e8b705c4358c704c446070c4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uelwdw7x8q27x333s9yjkfx2k8hay0y4w4nqt2g8v9vrlwh2v7nq084cs5 op_cert: \xdb26c5ad4d19e8f7ce3991bc671a971e597d2760cc10bd8c2746ac1eafa93376 op_cert_counter: 1