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 5552471 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26057617 epoch_slot_no: 396817 block_no: 5552294 slot_leader_id: 4556631 size: 3636 time: 2021-04-05 11:58:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x2ef8c558d5f6201e7bb0f3897666106cb3ba6036577959df43b2c89f081d6306Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mzf870y2x4nh8v6n2suzev53kyd2jnnnccfl5ylcl55zau5ean6s0rtl2d op_cert: \x0f80fe21e4fafe75071cfa92ef5d508e2ebaedde584db1b1af82a347c2cbbbbc op_cert_counter: 3