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 5617872 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 80 slot_no: 27407391 epoch_slot_no: 18591 block_no: 5617695 slot_leader_id: 4640685 size: 31871 time: 2021-04-21 02:54:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c0a3a10ed8f0b9aa8fcecbaac2b66630ac61c19216d4f107b816a2e819575a3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12fjnfgfyqpdqu9tl6rjlyn63anxc49yptvyxfya2fd202p9gmxksnlzvk7 op_cert: \xb61d07a19a6d4e389edebf418390d42917854a820b788901c8f58232983be650 op_cert_counter: 3