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 5617858 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 27407040 epoch_slot_no: 18240 block_no: 5617681 slot_leader_id: 5412073 size: 11837 time: 2021-04-21 02:48:51 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0c632b1142c079eccde751da5514604ee42755577b1da839dc13bcf56c27e24aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ktkn6ja74g2wrvxxuk5aase8cxjf3k2dsarjm82gy9qvn9rwsk2swkrkfn op_cert: \xf97a563b073882daf136f7db04e4f969dbb1733b9b0f4fde2e5e810efed94161 op_cert_counter: 0