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 5618238 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 35 slot_no: 27414556 epoch_slot_no: 25756 block_no: 5618061 slot_leader_id: 4962722 size: 14073 time: 2021-04-21 04:54:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x383eeb3f28e50d0e944fd5e8bb55bde1a15c47076fe24153431e27c85e297bfcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kacg7yqlp57wuxn80dsgzt8mhdkugqv783aqvkvtxggylel568rqy6cceh op_cert: \x0ef0de11ba692cbde1155e94b5509d890bbbe229ab3af957f55f69220fbbbd30 op_cert_counter: 3