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 5638657 Details
Epoch: 262 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 27832660 epoch_slot_no: 11860 block_no: 5638480 slot_leader_id: 5023687 size: 491 time: 2021-04-26 01:02:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8de9c9c82dde10b3ea60f5d4017ff3b20f61731f72e31a63951013515ec2efedBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mw77p4742utx67t652qra5z2sj6mcrc23l9r9600hajl0zd29zaqxf6g3t op_cert: \xfce25fae990d869fd76f101ba95be2c653fd15fe26c5e2f520b907dd04d181f9 op_cert_counter: 1