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 5550572 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 26017909 epoch_slot_no: 357109 block_no: 5550395 slot_leader_id: 5479021 size: 6462 time: 2021-04-05 00:56:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd18796a1b6673f402f28e58e9305df4e0c90f61f1af7df1111d3b6c9fe16ede0Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v7a27cl346z30f328jrqh2wdn84x02q48gdu62pcvgxvydtlr6fqthalv3 op_cert: \x371f4e3acd0ce4b90540bb48ce79f9d04540aa1ca77a8ad4b95b917fc0beca47 op_cert_counter: 0