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 5550652 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 26019333 epoch_slot_no: 358533 block_no: 5550475 slot_leader_id: 4571889 size: 8862 time: 2021-04-05 01:20:24 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfdbce0f108bd39fb8bce9cfa2c4f8ac7f2f3a06fa51472088380cc2512de0044Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk10sfjs922rrnx85gj7c9hffpnp04azhrnnc9nghrdajtchl8r205q79ucp0 op_cert: \x2d0486010c4b6f0e15ae0da36809ef4fa73af50921e0bc3086d0181160ac5ec0 op_cert_counter: 9