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 5618864 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 27427176 epoch_slot_no: 38376 block_no: 5618687 slot_leader_id: 5155708 size: 4174 time: 2021-04-21 08:24:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9d3617b78674e437fbcf2bcef999d22dc6d8785afe308e774d8d87f0d5f975acBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1trt3chpnwveum0lew3d6nl7c9836zhr4rczxgu4xlmqr2yd4l00spt8p9f op_cert: \x361dd0c4674adae30e2b3285acc8d94682a56698d671a00de1bc5adff5f7d161 op_cert_counter: 1