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 5550097 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 179 slot_no: 26007897 epoch_slot_no: 347097 block_no: 5549920 slot_leader_id: 4628586 size: 63275 time: 2021-04-04 22:09:48 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2a9e9de70fad57d1ddd714f701c7f28e279706110feddd4ba1f67fccacf51222Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12k65tnyj7m358l5n65g63jy2rh65yt3xhdkne24fs2j9p5lajzmsdzasa6 op_cert: \x90a927ecc802e9185de1a1cb25bc0d2e2f3eff2f14cd3b78bf80f6cdb60710e8 op_cert_counter: 14