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 5551317 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 1 slot_no: 26032749 epoch_slot_no: 371949 block_no: 5551140 slot_leader_id: 5086889 size: 428 time: 2021-04-05 05:04:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8d477765df4c8df0a29f79a35c982a560647333f24c95a4f6273ac895d9068c3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1uelwdw7x8q27x333s9yjkfx2k8hay0y4w4nqt2g8v9vrlwh2v7nq084cs5 op_cert: \xdb26c5ad4d19e8f7ce3991bc671a971e597d2760cc10bd8c2746ac1eafa93376 op_cert_counter: 1