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 5617875 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 27407477 epoch_slot_no: 18677 block_no: 5617698 slot_leader_id: 5026921 size: 1757 time: 2021-04-21 02:56:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb38442ffa092928a06bd15c87d90f8f3fb19edbc9c53ffc9afd92258fdf79e50Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1vhuhnklefgj9xaw20kz2786anlqk3gy9ws0se5d85kx8x43z5ylqzvw79d op_cert: \x8fb5f393a2b5d1b24858c22c045b726b9301cc1e363bca85338dd6b3c66a060e op_cert_counter: 4