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 5550488 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26016322 epoch_slot_no: 355522 block_no: 5550311 slot_leader_id: 4868693 size: 6114 time: 2021-04-05 00:30:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa71a809d89f378931f0549070164ba6cb91cb834d2eac4e7cac40510f3a8fc6dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12leatppkdwgrny5xsfw25qqh7d6l6wr7kvyrk8gjk4k87ga5kp2qghs9ym op_cert: \xaadf227135294a2f8d51ed6cc54acebee3d9ae54e38268f4df38a11974123c4b op_cert_counter: 2