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 5550527 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 24 slot_no: 26017038 epoch_slot_no: 356238 block_no: 5550350 slot_leader_id: 4559083 size: 14133 time: 2021-04-05 00:42:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3c19e751e58a84d8c88cf7f50dff03a715778ce19a045b34d6ec8730f2f40fadBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1kkm2ddusu6fx76ag2cj44te7k5vjejqvq0hwcarfe5lkgdzt47ms4h9tp2 op_cert: \x425ae1faa0ec85a6d3d44bd5b05009f4954e0ff35443d1ed31e10726e0df661e op_cert_counter: 5