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 5550778 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 27 slot_no: 26022226 epoch_slot_no: 361426 block_no: 5550601 slot_leader_id: 5236443 size: 17084 time: 2021-04-05 02:08:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xfb714b913ea4097492ab72789830fdbd3d83bb624ea35e0c72daac4534e3178bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1gentgp95j4c5eevqrh0gnsxunr7suzjexsrymkd5ddmvuf8hxssqksqq5j op_cert: \x434c2660a61e5d7b8801ba9413978a6e0fbdff01f31e7a902732c2b6da718972 op_cert_counter: 1