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 5550604 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26018464 epoch_slot_no: 357664 block_no: 5550427 slot_leader_id: 4558590 size: 5712 time: 2021-04-05 01:05:55 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x14d9173027c2503d7e30d4a08405d5123af6bb8115558d1d4e07f4c67e657691Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12ply07ya8jzhyqmpcystrm0f4rp853cymcsn33kpx7l9s6d822gq37n0fg op_cert: \x183b34c9b5c27e4e6765ad9a23186dd115b90fefbe2ff9499f5339fd61300c18 op_cert_counter: 4