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 5550584 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 26018178 epoch_slot_no: 357378 block_no: 5550407 slot_leader_id: 4565154 size: 5696 time: 2021-04-05 01:01:09 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0aa4588451d3cb123c36a4fce7b3410f0465746cc34d9cb1267a0a5d578339efBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lucty2un9cjm6f2fkjrpwy2fz6hnv53s94ktlzhcwfldv9ucp7rq7xzdhd op_cert: \x14f9a306aec593f6dfae66d5d6fae1f80822cd4f57360350a8e8f56b70eab434 op_cert_counter: 2