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 5552643 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26061288 epoch_slot_no: 400488 block_no: 5552466 slot_leader_id: 4941448 size: 3616 time: 2021-04-05 12:59:39 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc0a5071e67535fe4eb1efe3c5dceb8ceec21a4fcffff1b044e64f8b65123f029Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1mmahu03jycqskaywr79hsckf4esdyecu7g3lypnnznrhps3ddylsn4fya9 op_cert: \x0c1fc164758ad3ac8e5b07b7f099baeae1d82eecf00efafb3b0dca02bccab08c op_cert_counter: 8