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 5550189 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 118 slot_no: 26010191 epoch_slot_no: 349391 block_no: 5550012 slot_leader_id: 5215989 size: 42248 time: 2021-04-04 22:48:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x81e6fafddc4acadd6f55c3f6bd3e793a2a90e0d9d9716a03e335718ceb9742c9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rds2yl04ee8unwce4uty8q2k2g25ehalvzwhzlvkj0q8u72swxnss69530 op_cert: \x8547b6f14b259a651fb7d99caf75687451dc52fbe0629fff5650a10525ec1fa0 op_cert_counter: 1