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 5618686 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 27424156 epoch_slot_no: 35356 block_no: 5618509 slot_leader_id: 5063926 size: 2551 time: 2021-04-21 07:34:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14cc9a8486ae42da95715fc3bdbab00ab373b66fb274820ea584c2c9eb211441Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecyeq8gg3r007ualzq6f6ulwa8e7ze86w9qz40gkjjrl7ca5v7rqkuj2v4 op_cert: \xd855ee067c3ec77776af38aa05187d7d1431e4a3f56c6c988c18b05543abb7dd op_cert_counter: 15