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 5552558 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 26059474 epoch_slot_no: 398674 block_no: 5552381 slot_leader_id: 4570659 size: 22927 time: 2021-04-05 12:29:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc698ecc79f86d9378a0ad4964dfa70b470bf1696a0ee0f20d7361f6c084fc82fBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1qmyw2hyfh8jvgqcfe9kuwjz5506g0z4hamq29x7t8g2rr7cez0zsnrs793 op_cert: \xebcf1024275dd572a43ba2522997ef6a2d379fae0c3a86c2353cd1f2c5bb526b op_cert_counter: 4