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 5550259 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26011562 epoch_slot_no: 350762 block_no: 5550082 slot_leader_id: 4555957 size: 7505 time: 2021-04-04 23:10:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8f17f6b1e5f2251b5bb335a9345a72c6fe15ef4e2d802f172b3e26d3557f066aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19gst8x5h2ypvr84p69za7ys90x39jh8x66t82dpykylwe6c40l0s5ks6l5 op_cert: \x6dc1e500ee69ee4f02d67254ca3fb8ede4c592f4dc145ba4a9a001225913ad5d op_cert_counter: 4