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 5550398 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26014312 epoch_slot_no: 353512 block_no: 5550221 slot_leader_id: 4557324 size: 4675 time: 2021-04-04 23:56:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3f5386e838b80536a5c9b460882cdf8eec94f9d48095556e2a9f491b5be1f5f6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1skdrf0m3zwdl5udrvfjuwhe72qau4wnv552c7ttmsqvw0uu6hgcqw3h20c op_cert: \x061073a05caec5c16394f79b5a643fcc1b11c2602f9de44eded24b05bf5cff89 op_cert_counter: 3