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 5552609 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 26060594 epoch_slot_no: 399794 block_no: 5552432 slot_leader_id: 5438672 size: 13697 time: 2021-04-05 12:48:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x26b731bd8e37e4892e981a67e67b3234d1c168688c4b6f8fcb6c709faca4de87Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mhyl7f9wnpjnn0ze6c0ph6twh4gfht06p5v48fcdcct6we2x4e7sr3tflx op_cert: \x05e6499f57d58002513768f0f06b16b8dea82553dcab441b2a47ca026a7658a9 op_cert_counter: 0