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 5553647 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26082557 epoch_slot_no: 421757 block_no: 5553470 slot_leader_id: 5293507 size: 9808 time: 2021-04-05 18:54:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x304e991434e3a623b2c4ded0f29a6c54918846a85a02dcc9a88ab79694128985Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f4h45k4mux686h27g0864spupal6vtgtq7sj8dz63us8hnk9uj7qlaknlm op_cert: \x61fd9f913860dc83648a098314488613745a8b86bc138c5e9d23705254d42de0 op_cert_counter: 3