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 5550657 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 15 slot_no: 26019521 epoch_slot_no: 358721 block_no: 5550480 slot_leader_id: 5030993 size: 13767 time: 2021-04-05 01:23:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x860fc1783ba3178ba0b9f5796cbb5a320733067fcec684ac121358e1377bf48aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1zg2p5k3dqlxu7pshsgtlwpswwrl2gd3r2a4cgsg5xu5y82qzpuasfjc0a7 op_cert: \x022a7fc0018709827c2bdb81e5974c6603d7d2b654250172cc6dd739106ef4a2 op_cert_counter: 1