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 5552705 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 3 slot_no: 26062520 epoch_slot_no: 401720 block_no: 5552528 slot_leader_id: 4581588 size: 3340 time: 2021-04-05 13:20:11 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8cef12e0ab304d497584140de80942b04a28fce4f83bdc097a4738faa9fb9bd9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1m5tnjq3exhpu8mfcy6rl5xe5jedd8adzx6n5syju3vj8p5yhfels900hls op_cert: \xcfd0d21e317e218443c905af8c7cc45e6b005c7232132f4cf1dd076ff241524f op_cert_counter: 4