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 5550172 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 26009712 epoch_slot_no: 348912 block_no: 5549995 slot_leader_id: 5023718 size: 6052 time: 2021-04-04 22:40:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe2b4ade2c44aa029b4d3678ecaabb16b8675bcf870d994f821cbf195caa45e09Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13394aw38pqs9qudwszpkz4wq4rqglgm6hcp8kv8uswvudt4f633sjzuml4 op_cert: \xe386ea4dc702c417219fab6bc2919db8f8749260c2471a97f8078e182900b1ef op_cert_counter: 2