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 5550697 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 7 slot_no: 26020227 epoch_slot_no: 359427 block_no: 5550520 slot_leader_id: 5359678 size: 10912 time: 2021-04-05 01:35:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd8c796d686694566dc8fc4655552b532a46a0d66b67b6c7677d4a96bec5fb77eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gqxtw9rx2tsx3elm8rlet6fxjkxzzusxlqjdn07ly5npzwegucqr45mgt op_cert: \x96725410ae3a234408b83ea6631cc6a25d6c42c404f96ff2567d0a3520246c09 op_cert_counter: 0