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 5550542 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26017336 epoch_slot_no: 356536 block_no: 5550365 slot_leader_id: 4598725 size: 8951 time: 2021-04-05 00:47:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc5bc045ba7d13e331eb9dd749614f2055d4b913daece24c57217f140b6b12b2aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezeef5vfdy0nu0lfpkwxf6m7y4sg2m590dtd78zsjts59jskdttq2hyj4w op_cert: \xb7b4e66bf9991e14bb3cb74912b08b5a4cb1e183b9869c2097e5155f75749d06 op_cert_counter: 3