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 5618303 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 27415959 epoch_slot_no: 27159 block_no: 5618126 slot_leader_id: 4555427 size: 3293 time: 2021-04-21 05:17:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xaa7622c149d0466549f992844d9c0ce2bf2327e0e6cf2ae76abf0b4627c33d3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17w5znxxj6l3ru8q3tw450a8axsgkp65x3t53fpkvlhuwuc57zdpqlaaczd op_cert: \x219723c843b1cd18148aab12f754cbc7ad7a0e891820b38175ad821d3f1a3ee5 op_cert_counter: 6