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 5553570 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26080871 epoch_slot_no: 420071 block_no: 5553393 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 10239 time: 2021-04-05 18:26:02 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4f3e5bb7f12ed7c5edb44e09b6f93e400880d88a7a2d4b32f9419f40015d579dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \xc41c42d5d36b748c596242d70ab06f81893d0ce6f474d2388d8643bbcf559568 op_cert_counter: 3