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 5550636 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 26019032 epoch_slot_no: 358232 block_no: 5550459 slot_leader_id: 5452949 size: 3092 time: 2021-04-05 01:15:23 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x521dbca6038f77e50c5ee879ba4c70830e92ce4d80e82eeee28686e34965ae9eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1n6s0rl6d5udka80mqxsd4gpvc4ndg2x85ztftv3aga7y8q3r7nesmmfs58 op_cert: \x01438b89d44b6fc84a63270f880d032e441da99657f8a4d2d46b9465dc42d257 op_cert_counter: 0