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 5550523 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26016952 epoch_slot_no: 356152 block_no: 5550346 slot_leader_id: 4558052 size: 6989 time: 2021-04-05 00:40:43 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x843cf467f6d1a7a2cbe341225909e4c0d2e178cce03f278e6c5fba96a31d05dcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12cmp9tznzdsp64q4clmnyn20k78xewtn4m2uzmv5rjfkknvm6h4sztrzhl op_cert: \xc943db335042011feb302c2249980babb737e5884db258c67288dffb4189e7ab op_cert_counter: 6