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 5551045 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26027007 epoch_slot_no: 366207 block_no: 5550868 slot_leader_id: 5306704 size: 2006 time: 2021-04-05 03:28:18 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa5335129cf6a5aed97c74aa582ce24ba9e36e47992f1752a541b0efaa564762fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1fdww9dy7h360tvhtzayq995qw6q7pwhn28hhx220rtp6shx6n8dq30zzwn op_cert: \x4f8e162442bf8ef286c30ffaf6c360957c74cfb4c7e786d00445de9ccaa27de4 op_cert_counter: 1