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 5618431 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 27418604 epoch_slot_no: 29804 block_no: 5618254 slot_leader_id: 5279875 size: 3984 time: 2021-04-21 06:01:35 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x73511b21d639fe31de7cc88b03e63c43b04d1b55e98b3827c61b8e5dfa727a5aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18r9d7kj9ysxxfzkpwgt0d3s92zvzx3vkxmnk6s0clkmh5nswy72sekwyeh op_cert: \x0009f1a4c36b9e677cc6cf9381e7591fbda7628fa78f079e9d75e0cc30bbdfad op_cert_counter: 1