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 5617894 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 27407745 epoch_slot_no: 18945 block_no: 5617717 slot_leader_id: 5040184 size: 14939 time: 2021-04-21 03:00:36 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2e36bd29b777c9e8e240b52115eda53cd1b141ad7a2ec1a5192901145f24df4aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk168c2p7uhdeq7j96lhcqqekfzmftr6wm2ml089v3y06kekxl2d8rqf56d2x op_cert: \xd8720a5d56e933eec310719af716acb4cb5287c698317188dc621aaa3ac5b2db op_cert_counter: 5