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 5551017 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 2 slot_no: 26026459 epoch_slot_no: 365659 block_no: 5550840 slot_leader_id: 5045180 size: 704 time: 2021-04-05 03:19:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x61977b681ca0e4b08cf4d40ff9dc3e72960464d695ec564710031ed6e4a2c2c6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1a7ugpa948480jl5dw3czlr2gqq65cq7679ckh0afv9l707z2wxsq9kyetc op_cert: \x658558a2a8c0ee3cda68ee904e6b45de08c9b4ff4d7098ab45228e6bc8f4cee1 op_cert_counter: 1