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 5618597 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 27422234 epoch_slot_no: 33434 block_no: 5618420 slot_leader_id: 4627143 size: 28682 time: 2021-04-21 07:02:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1b3ba057252c9a7376ad1a7863a894f7d7e44ea7741a77e504c045e3c39eeffBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1czculnj656yl3pcmj7pcqewkyghn6s4qr92epvqghw0ktrr9k53qfzpw26 op_cert: \x62adc2aea324e485dd93012bf8c306f6980cb147b7b96efbc2118c0363933069 op_cert_counter: 3