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 5638040 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 27819968 epoch_slot_no: 431168 block_no: 5637863 slot_leader_id: 4569295 size: 5951 time: 2021-04-25 21:30:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ddacb9367190ff59d3cef1f9b913c07467325c9dfedd4538952e9024f6071ccBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qnxv35jp3y5k63pgrd0pxvyl9dpj44hsd9vdrs530m0rfwfs42wq395qjz op_cert: \x7deebf5c281f49f672f67f751d475b7ec6879feeccc31294b5519e9d9702f3ae op_cert_counter: 4