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 5550525 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 11 slot_no: 26016994 epoch_slot_no: 356194 block_no: 5550348 slot_leader_id: 4556117 size: 13927 time: 2021-04-05 00:41:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x01441f303906dd4d8fcddc0ed5f0ada2f99d85523c0b8298f12b80ae7e5587b4Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c2lexrd2suefkzu06y3u0hkxvfau9avdvcj9mf6m7se6n5s3r73s6h0rc4 op_cert: \x6f43fdcf7b9b2f1d03f557552f0b8d031ceeb603961d10f829a1823d39807b04 op_cert_counter: 3