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 5553636 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 26082369 epoch_slot_no: 421569 block_no: 5553459 slot_leader_id: 4573799 size: 36841 time: 2021-04-05 18:51:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x590f85d3bd3623d0c831a9d296572e24bbcb89300068df7f825042236852565bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1p0r0r8enaa9fv40zc0hm9q92lpwd4glg2lgm7tg67zxaf5v075ssg8328n op_cert: \x7e2544a48c5386d1b0b5729974e12bbfe1b0925f04c3f9b1c761a1bbd8ec6f0f op_cert_counter: 3