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 5661612 Details
Epoch: 263 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 28301243 epoch_slot_no: 48443 block_no: 5661435 slot_leader_id: 5449407 size: 3721 time: 2021-05-01 11:12:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3e358ea59a4da46d7c00093958f8f67e65a3a85bfa4f9b26ba4665984eb66dbeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u35v66v0ku3n2f93gx3ye49wc8g937wcfu38tjec8swg87cghp5scc59a5 op_cert: \x7e37fa60082591f8fcccfaf18c4b769ea5af3f74b0edf05527359b97b248b21b op_cert_counter: 2