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 5550461 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26015724 epoch_slot_no: 354924 block_no: 5550284 slot_leader_id: 4577416 size: 8679 time: 2021-04-05 00:20:15 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x204eb03892c1888c3ff4830e8c7e33159a345b6aed85633bce416a8908ea2d48Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mfvuefhs88w7u5ue5qjm4c85ntamlhcnmvw2qdjwkpcena2pfcdsn97av0 op_cert: \xa28fb90aa76ecab2f331353fdc38d2eb3abd7aef13d8710f603d1928afa4881a op_cert_counter: 3