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 5552833 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 26065318 epoch_slot_no: 404518 block_no: 5552656 slot_leader_id: 4609503 size: 8679 time: 2021-04-05 14:06:49 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x80af3da785bf998c99364c09fde3080fb21cfcadd9932dd141c4b42a3ae2f2d8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14n7udujh4mljhelknpxmkupq9n64uzzvdstnuqfqslxy9h47fq3q2hnxsk op_cert: \x6c1e5a58de5101360b6ffbe1040797d58dbd8f8a1f1a5db22c6347f0fdfbf94c op_cert_counter: 3