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 5618972 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 27429277 epoch_slot_no: 40477 block_no: 5618795 slot_leader_id: 4556264 size: 4254 time: 2021-04-21 08:59:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98a6a5a7be8462a7a3dacd18de38cb83742f7957444ebfcc1a202f9a893681b8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1x8944k6j572wpdtz4tn3l9pam2ddhp6an35ma4ug9mr2rvqflz3shpaj36 op_cert: \x101c0ebf3d566d0a751ad017d913ff6b25e84575634f03b5f50205f42594c67f op_cert_counter: 4