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 5551643 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26039739 epoch_slot_no: 378939 block_no: 5551466 slot_leader_id: 5095399 size: 7494 time: 2021-04-05 07:00:30 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1d4550272cfa2f46709f114c680ef097d9a827cd6355057ddd7ad7431ed606e2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk19njvlah03svpdhfe93ksu3e40azp7ltvfhknmyvfp078w7sges9q7tdmj3 op_cert: \xcf4dc3394777f111e8c615535d490f17e047b362ecf2d292044cdc361a249d72 op_cert_counter: 4