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 5553288 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 26074911 epoch_slot_no: 414111 block_no: 5553111 slot_leader_id: 4664676 size: 8514 time: 2021-04-05 16:46:42 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x61fa8e5e57f554ef63d3cbc32bdce7d55a0caf232fdf320a18da7ce939e4ca38Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ccmn22jxu6rmt2s98kch5ry8h666pasqf2sx969aj2el62g4kx3sg0xglv op_cert: \xdc2fcf0d07a9472370318dbafb5b65966cc9f5f724a8650e8903e1209a09abf2 op_cert_counter: 3