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 5538586 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 25771073 epoch_slot_no: 110273 block_no: 5538409 slot_leader_id: 4555843 size: 7868 time: 2021-04-02 04:22:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8a9fe316d1589388ab52428ff8659e624e90d7ca62129158acde1700698ade47Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m30knv6sdact0jva87yqstj64dl4udz07zksjr4zd8s77sza6f3qfxsn07 op_cert: \x2e1b5ad4abae5fc1403e78255291d7226a1d79781f1c03f7221916cb360c8073 op_cert_counter: 3