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 5516609 Details
Epoch: 256 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 25318696 epoch_slot_no: 89896 block_no: 5516432 slot_leader_id: 4555499 size: 9946 time: 2021-03-27 22:43:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x372ab9be8dc6fe315b1944e0a9c1e7be171cc988182ed1f4df8578cfc9edc7ceBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17ltssr2yxf2j6ktqkhd3sgxedjna205ce9qp5djyvfa639hhux4qj73fzv op_cert: \x32f2bd7e9b8089681135fbc4c8133182141c497c08ac56579e4dddfdb197eae1 op_cert_counter: 5