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 5550606 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 26018479 epoch_slot_no: 357679 block_no: 5550429 slot_leader_id: 4555658 size: 5206 time: 2021-04-05 01:06:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x56b1af63f3852d8781ba0f4a26b21da94b176574e7cb153a488257fb81c1786aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xjffjgfgkcugakd4d2cr98jzc47lt5026jzrd63xjzqetuea47gqrgauhm op_cert: \x6c1a25de95c89fe2df4af81e8440ac621b723fcc06c0ddfc0f2c7dd900067c1f op_cert_counter: 4