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 5618834 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 27426699 epoch_slot_no: 37899 block_no: 5618657 slot_leader_id: 5086738 size: 14343 time: 2021-04-21 08:16:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd9cc39810349445b32e0a74c8e7261ec905e1b7e54006d00b1d97a35e8e32e7aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x36j64ka3hh068n2es8vz5vwsdlr9xuxwjsk68ed94g3v3q9ly9qm6qlqm op_cert: \xa8ac4daa550892a80449aa9349ecbe4508a8a5a281fcc8d1f3d3ac7832f43d76 op_cert_counter: 1