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 5550346 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26013315 epoch_slot_no: 352515 block_no: 5550169 slot_leader_id: 4555482 size: 5927 time: 2021-04-04 23:40:06 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8982abb4908d068bbfa0013f1110ded3ce30c14084fe0d173707ecd3a7908808Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zkk728e2535f3rdgwj3vxf5ak6kjzcmzgwnzvcksh6ec4hvuf8gqyrgp7a op_cert: \x3caa812bc40fd61ca04137fe6ff6e3f9639304324c8de76f2104f47cd6a286b0 op_cert_counter: 3