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 5618838 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 27426751 epoch_slot_no: 37951 block_no: 5618661 slot_leader_id: 4557401 size: 2390 time: 2021-04-21 08:17:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x028d1e94d28ee1889cebe71f7bcc00f027015aa6d59967731ef56dadf3a05c0aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m3gs8np7hsw3lrcwrfgvl2c2dsmrdysdmnwlndpyu5x4mwqumpqsx8582a op_cert: \xf66e7644b4533cb5955696e7642450c586842f3ba36136c0a53da4244ccbd915 op_cert_counter: 7