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 5618522 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 27420492 epoch_slot_no: 31692 block_no: 5618345 slot_leader_id: 5215989 size: 9599 time: 2021-04-21 06:33:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xae0fdc5f92ac803f498a0066e9b95f66192c58492dcb87435cf624bfe9db63e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rds2yl04ee8unwce4uty8q2k2g25ehalvzwhzlvkj0q8u72swxnss69530 op_cert: \x8547b6f14b259a651fb7d99caf75687451dc52fbe0629fff5650a10525ec1fa0 op_cert_counter: 1