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 5553622 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 26081994 epoch_slot_no: 421194 block_no: 5553445 slot_leader_id: 5030962 size: 12980 time: 2021-04-05 18:44:45 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x9b2f5d92929825872503dde507745b4d1f7a4bd4bd5fc3206775db68c31be4acBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yu426l0g25r4zexgg244jpjjrhy5lat0rqk6cuknyyzkvylaaqksvmuz0e op_cert: \xe7046f51f723ec88638f914b32890e33b6d3567191ffffbbbccfe372fdb767ee op_cert_counter: 3