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 5550573 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 26017968 epoch_slot_no: 357168 block_no: 5550396 slot_leader_id: 4627143 size: 26150 time: 2021-04-05 00:57:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x397b0e7c95fbcd0e1074a826c3c87d22f9069ad73531657a24487ace5a18ffc6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1czculnj656yl3pcmj7pcqewkyghn6s4qr92epvqghw0ktrr9k53qfzpw26 op_cert: \x62adc2aea324e485dd93012bf8c306f6980cb147b7b96efbc2118c0363933069 op_cert_counter: 3