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 5618638 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27423150 epoch_slot_no: 34350 block_no: 5618461 slot_leader_id: 5279020 size: 7434 time: 2021-04-21 07:17:21 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe140429013228bcb5e6640ec2bde94eebd55a6bca1822bddb12ada9d5f072192Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c78xtz4s0ezu26wkkspcpyxphg30favfzftxnp0ugd8saxqnc7fsn85g9t op_cert: \x493d4a212466213a3460f46f72ae3b5081aae8ff470322f864ed7133cd4c17f0 op_cert_counter: 1