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 5550577 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26018039 epoch_slot_no: 357239 block_no: 5550400 slot_leader_id: 4559709 size: 7019 time: 2021-04-05 00:58:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcded16fd62a2796a11f562468f2d9fafafef826173df39d42988e8706a2c7155Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1rrf0qyyv45pu7talhcdfzk4hc0273k54504vdralnu9tyul4xspqk7d35p op_cert: \x1b7b6ea0163ea0df8d6c01203ab3f3b9a863e1125a6623b65fe96b28d0e202fc op_cert_counter: 3