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 5838638 Details
Epoch: 271 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 31878948 epoch_slot_no: 170148 block_no: 5838461 slot_leader_id: 5391942 size: 20169 time: 2021-06-11 21:00:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x53a9ac097e6cf841b4f776fd8802f90a5b16c4a676378502fce9bc4f52c1cdb5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f55k3tnepqh5lczw9xxmxs784llnfm3t46cllwtd8wt465kjfj7sur4ssu op_cert: \xa7748a3e7fbf40ab048eee82f7542a890b2bc97e1fb74f34e8e65bf61ace9984 op_cert_counter: 1