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 5553009 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 21 slot_no: 26068781 epoch_slot_no: 407981 block_no: 5552832 slot_leader_id: 4867868 size: 10186 time: 2021-04-05 15:04:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe3eafa442d3ef06f5299a6f7337531a521a4e8d3131f436626211cbe7694abafBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18gyrqfekdya4hkgz6002ccta78duvgxhh9lh708lcxwcz7tuvj9qlkjt8g op_cert: \x0e5c14f8c763ae4568aeb0d522a921947e51c78ee16c0df04a463ed244a9df38 op_cert_counter: 1