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 5618627 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 27422948 epoch_slot_no: 34148 block_no: 5618450 slot_leader_id: 5279197 size: 3236 time: 2021-04-21 07:13:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9c9ea6e12c7d9947e85aad8afe3b136b3c11851708bdae2d38830d12b52a64bdBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kd22333ze3g69nkml34h36syj5wjedxxm8ykcdlsvgvd5cgklh8sh6szq8 op_cert: \x56aef86eea2becba22c7b78fe6341f6c392acd73a132d3cd4f9ae787453693d3 op_cert_counter: 1