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 5550288 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 52 slot_no: 26012207 epoch_slot_no: 351407 block_no: 5550111 slot_leader_id: 5531472 size: 31682 time: 2021-04-04 23:21:38 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6be623c85c8633ca1bfa70435566abd6254f670fabe045be2349ecc370b72af4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12nm825wd2e7hjqeu3c4wrgm3hu5rvduf4mfqktvnlz28efjvvtmqz402f4 op_cert: \x210a8429904fe92470e67067b567a9d311bb217bf282d0eb34cb91d1f7f7839f op_cert_counter: 0