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 5617857 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 27406973 epoch_slot_no: 18173 block_no: 5617680 slot_leader_id: 4955541 size: 5286 time: 2021-04-21 02:47:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xde4919063e25047b842ad2fba200123f3a790f6e673625ce6e74d74e053bee61Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdw6vgzd6chp99zqskl4984xdva93zkc7xsp666jl8sruk5ys05qym79gx op_cert: \x5482f19bb60087f1f8698df48894d56de4c5bf849d000bdba88acf534a52a7d4 op_cert_counter: 5