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 5553616 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26081862 epoch_slot_no: 421062 block_no: 5553439 slot_leader_id: 4746508 size: 4927 time: 2021-04-05 18:42:33 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x435500ee15d5378b196c42d58c55d36c5468c946d04201b600a74bf9f06203c3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sscqzyu63clxvm48qar825vyh2u4zfpnz57m2calzwgufvpmgwqsldk7tx op_cert: \x03bb69b68a9fa9f597e41e0be3aab507a8e3ee700cd98cdd92dc65df58191fcb op_cert_counter: 2