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 5553088 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 26070439 epoch_slot_no: 409639 block_no: 5552911 slot_leader_id: 4679252 size: 9509 time: 2021-04-05 15:32:10 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9bde2c53fb165ce8314183b518aecdd589f670b6c21befde1ba0f10d66a777edBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u3rp29td29q0txep3j7vvnk3jhpr7rwu8kqwfa34g8ukpqhgppcs8727xq op_cert: \xcb99ca837d4c3ba870fd7e2692716d167f737bb42f8de9ad71ef94875e84acc9 op_cert_counter: 3