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 5550081 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 178 slot_no: 26007460 epoch_slot_no: 346660 block_no: 5549904 slot_leader_id: 4555935 size: 63443 time: 2021-04-04 22:02:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4a24450f4ce38830ca9923ab51a450a15ce33a0bf5f8652b3c0885d92cef3231Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n4utnntawp42quxyag8xyfwz2eykw80aygefdy8p7r4pf2cq4jhswktmkw op_cert: \xf40771062bf06f161ead02638cd064e14a7b86dd6b5b0b8f859c8b03bbe86936 op_cert_counter: 5