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 5552493 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 6 slot_no: 26058118 epoch_slot_no: 397318 block_no: 5552316 slot_leader_id: 5072359 size: 3002 time: 2021-04-05 12:06:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x426772c3cf8905a19d931b1681ccb0f30d75b7f99d6ad57d2d65ff81ae9a7cabBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1e76qra8229ys543mma5ncfpu0ufv0x7sss9y9l5gn0qm92zyq57stvjguy op_cert: \x729e0d8429979a5db4515a4e40052c980d54ee8bec25e00f2642d031961c4e1a op_cert_counter: 9