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 5550514 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26016848 epoch_slot_no: 356048 block_no: 5550337 slot_leader_id: 4577713 size: 6252 time: 2021-04-05 00:38:59 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xadb1aa61a28980d30abcfc818709fc77740bbf18ec8235b434a7692890b50f62Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qwu8m2lsqldzdg4m8ypaj5w2sdamla6p0t2kvk0amzfpc5v7ednsvfcj2p op_cert: \xc398fd3d63b2685a880a90a17941915b0c71e51d2f320e5e4b215bfa9e1e3580 op_cert_counter: 3