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 5552451 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 14 slot_no: 26057180 epoch_slot_no: 396380 block_no: 5552274 slot_leader_id: 4557937 size: 6598 time: 2021-04-05 11:51:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x5ccc252f9d936d624e81accf2897f58ec3a06527ab0812da83d964f3d727e04eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z3qaj95vx6mhmzcj63c7f9v4am60fhlz55w5m26wk4nnl0tfc33q4s5h8m op_cert: \xf20159459e2f2843938cd909f3996e7357630ec704bab84969800e01b78b2493 op_cert_counter: 4