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 5618196 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 27413707 epoch_slot_no: 24907 block_no: 5618019 slot_leader_id: 4860249 size: 2055 time: 2021-04-21 04:39:58 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xf057420348b7ff73675997a3bf846089d965a97e8a75fb2e636ad5fea42ddf9bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1azdch753zl28sn8r5c0c5mjmuye6mre6q2fm33vz7fdmqu39h9mq2y5kpj op_cert: \x89a64c4d633ff28f1f73eb4d5761cf108e3acf9a20ac010fe7957807c97094ce op_cert_counter: 2