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 5550494 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 26016388 epoch_slot_no: 355588 block_no: 5550317 slot_leader_id: 5478911 size: 764 time: 2021-04-05 00:31:19 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x45b96ae8db8b530749cdd7f57905d442c0b84920187d17a4906bcd18c8606343Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tc8zck7gg2tym8r9wkzypx5xtzakhqwcd4vnefmjc87368ar7w2qamky3n op_cert: \xeb2ce8b584b12738f5b9d573342f41a2d1c3c173ae73c208b7125c39298dd06c op_cert_counter: 0