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 5628140 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 27618926 epoch_slot_no: 230126 block_no: 5627963 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 16955 time: 2021-04-23 13:40:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x176f09b5f5098340dab257e3a672420611ec3c5872b2d753ad5e6c05503595beBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xf20159459e2f2843938cd909f3996e7357630ec704bab84969800e01b78b2493 op_cert_counter: 4