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 5551431 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26034912 epoch_slot_no: 374112 block_no: 5551254 slot_leader_id: 4559599 size: 6268 time: 2021-04-05 05:40:03 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x285d1c9bb5d18c9803c88dde7af16917a40f7ac953faf144bd6cbbfa13e6584aBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ttfmw3qerarz90hw68y2vcfajkvu53tq039lgdrhr5cqrz889rjsjs2t7m op_cert: \xd6ca0e9702f7e811adf5a1c4274b8e74250154252e5a71ac8e01aa294dec985f op_cert_counter: 3