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 5618480 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 27419620 epoch_slot_no: 30820 block_no: 5618303 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 3318 time: 2021-04-21 06:18:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x496a0e653c66e908485a954da09a880175bae5ba18f680daa8d6e8e4232dd59fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \x03bb69b68a9fa9f597e41e0be3aab507a8e3ee700cd98cdd92dc65df58191fcb op_cert_counter: 2