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 5618368 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 27417209 epoch_slot_no: 28409 block_no: 5618191 slot_leader_id: 4556309 size: 22974 time: 2021-04-21 05:38:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a1ee94568dbde21e8f49611359fdfc18f958697d8c4cebae302a611e8b9d5ddBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1d64n6vnj4en52mhn29vux22pjvwfn4fwaktv92xpk7n8gq8qwzyqvern57 op_cert: \x6246993e38b2f88ef80909df944b782d8ca6e0a7b136018567d90e9738b7797c op_cert_counter: 4