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 5552577 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26059831 epoch_slot_no: 399031 block_no: 5552400 slot_leader_id: 4634493 size: 1941 time: 2021-04-05 12:35:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4e9e53bbcd5978253fe22807b91c1c78613761aa15f8e203732e2cffa9f7e4d6Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1knups3css9zwcss59s47uq55edshzxuxsyn77s92kehl7hfr399qvctsh6 op_cert: \x4f2d58ab2c218374784636755ec3e15e70f72e21c1134159c952375e17212adf op_cert_counter: 2