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 5552738 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 26063389 epoch_slot_no: 402589 block_no: 5552561 slot_leader_id: 4588020 size: 7734 time: 2021-04-05 13:34:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x028e1cf461ee7f7f383f62128930df12abc232ea30ae2fe62257fd9d7946f8aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1v38ah9nkpaw4799796l5ypvdyrusx8pedyktw4srzj3fc8ksa40sl0vmvd op_cert: \x6057db585fe826db855b08f2f1901b648a92a0c14fc9ce03215a08e04523a1e1 op_cert_counter: 13