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 5552616 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26060789 epoch_slot_no: 399989 block_no: 5552439 slot_leader_id: 4561939 size: 7446 time: 2021-04-05 12:51:20 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xcd9a289c5f25f34d3614dac494b6c29c865e344cd9f94009e6d6bda0a97fab3dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17vu8ynzjge0r8y65axtwegj5fx8sxc7ncg40a78pts4fwjretpmqpaakxe op_cert: \x815fc1565ab7cea80565064f155ae78b7d83605f81b6a6a62f764d0f7fd60563 op_cert_counter: 3