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 5617840 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 27406714 epoch_slot_no: 17914 block_no: 5617663 slot_leader_id: 5152773 size: 6607 time: 2021-04-21 02:43:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74c5cdcdbb0d51b606fcb9d00782da69a1e2dc21f576245bffbd8d942ee45f9fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1t8plepcw04sd9uv7wjlpjkkxmrtxmwrjufujrad4thxsr3savljsuyslvf op_cert: \x5d9f68587bfce4388f69dae305d0249ec704d638c50a39c5e3ab246972a6ab7b op_cert_counter: 5