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 5550318 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26012772 epoch_slot_no: 351972 block_no: 5550141 slot_leader_id: 5246212 size: 3883 time: 2021-04-04 23:31:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x38a13064c7401fa12c36aacd0f770ff34efc402e8650d819cbc2c3bf5d40128fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v3k7qj7gndzd9v9w99z4rlvqdw8n3cmn9f8w2pspgh36lld4gfqqemvh4r op_cert: \x74e8c1b44603f72e513312dd07371b2602bb6431adce6f349467f4aa689c1106 op_cert_counter: 4