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 5618404 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27417933 epoch_slot_no: 29133 block_no: 5618227 slot_leader_id: 4556431 size: 10743 time: 2021-04-21 05:50:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4f3d537f77b9416a7f2d628dd3f8c7591a612fc41867f520c09b5f26ee5799daBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12dl25929z0snzdwqdy8400aykx64257ted8gfvpxywmwmf4adx7sh29hd2 op_cert: \xb160540ed88be407caa796a825c829f2ce128578491d7c5a83b46a59938c514d op_cert_counter: 3