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 5550319 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26012789 epoch_slot_no: 351989 block_no: 5550142 slot_leader_id: 4584819 size: 2560 time: 2021-04-04 23:31:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x411903ac308c6ed2a031188a55cf5b77675134cecb1f4015c60a1e591a8bfa04Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ph3ke4qjsre9y4t7cj28xhaaauxgrgsna9t3pgsdgxkpt3etqzjqmk0n4z op_cert: \xf57b7b790a71b65a18354ea1b82c319973c596af105e8b4b03e0804c17e9a7c2 op_cert_counter: 5