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 5550240 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26011081 epoch_slot_no: 350281 block_no: 5550063 slot_leader_id: 4963072 size: 6079 time: 2021-04-04 23:02:52 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1d8cb8cba044879d0c18eb913dffa9f13e27461441dc66d6483977355c23ab5eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1dl59hndn0nlz9hryax4rd6quq8njrjva9fx7aylj78spk3xks3dsugmqf7 op_cert: \x32bb9c7807d865ac258e0be217b83eeed12ad31b28c68c3c42f188a8f4d980d0 op_cert_counter: 1