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 5618573 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 27421588 epoch_slot_no: 32788 block_no: 5618396 slot_leader_id: 5345789 size: 22560 time: 2021-04-21 06:51:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x57effd6873f7abc867b9de1830aae09177cb78ce07c9e51f53b94aad94bb91f2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zxfadkf3zwthfax6dv9k4pkqve5n35vx5mmnz30djkmpg82huacsqa6w3x op_cert: \xa9060928906694c78c63a830a807eeb9b52e0075cbc556a9bc189aa5baa3d530 op_cert_counter: 1