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 5553588 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26081242 epoch_slot_no: 420442 block_no: 5553411 slot_leader_id: 5449505 size: 7341 time: 2021-04-05 18:32:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x27cd8e1ac8bd17880a7312ca1761b2d6b9985d85ebdddef2d1ad0827abdfded5Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ezhtnhetkgm53jx7wc08esufyfp75cvk34cul20uhkg4ph6knuys9qay6z op_cert: \x816f54e69044d0d2bf8d111fbf48cfdc76893f82d18d91f098db47eb40bebc6d op_cert_counter: 1