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 5550496 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 33 slot_no: 26016507 epoch_slot_no: 355707 block_no: 5550319 slot_leader_id: 4555569 size: 17886 time: 2021-04-05 00:33:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xbe13a69c5ef8b17f9eb5715fb5a23cf2f578663d60498a2f24f88ef7419e1369Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c49e80jptd8pkmgrj8g3xex3rfd0xw0xwp88c3fpz9jjcmfu7xtswwzll8 op_cert: \x391c56e54c9714e569d278bf41ee8857f0f2d79a6dfd1aeb544538e9f93b4b94 op_cert_counter: 5