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 5552535 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 13 slot_no: 26058941 epoch_slot_no: 398141 block_no: 5552358 slot_leader_id: 5114286 size: 13262 time: 2021-04-05 12:20:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe71dc86c21cf41b0d97479471b903a8e4945a775baf3b939ac0f2fbb8df4ed2eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15mraalry4lpekm27mzld8za8lw6dvufxq97w8c8sjkuvekkkg6hqsng65e op_cert: \x2f2bd8247d264543a5f93dcaeca0c9ce4af42d1145b71c31f39e2633b0dbf69a op_cert_counter: 1