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 5520699 Details
Epoch: 256 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 25404868 epoch_slot_no: 176068 block_no: 5520522 slot_leader_id: 4585442 size: 8319 time: 2021-03-28 22:39:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x40a9686af807d49a1e48e785dff4d53a15cc57fdf4384e9cb4aa29a8a5ae6ee7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p7kx0jg0vc8sev4zj7x8jn74pe8w24em32w7f5khhr2mcurl3s7qmu43cs op_cert: \x4d735a8db35a39db32f5b9fabdc752d0627fe8bdbc7cc94ae54ee4d6147f63f1 op_cert_counter: 3