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 5626699 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 27587717 epoch_slot_no: 198917 block_no: 5626522 slot_leader_id: 4597776 size: 7338 time: 2021-04-23 05:00:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x512aab548aba60bc5ba9c97773c3613b46d392db61434579c4e5a7d5aaf30aceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12yhs6pf5krcnnaedcvex2puny3eda8p9n349ug3rlxf8y63pph9swqv8x5 op_cert: \xc260f6e23eb4333cd1c45844cf4b90090672d11c185b7b10d44c68e03ca9cfe5 op_cert_counter: 3