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 5553705 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 26083676 epoch_slot_no: 422876 block_no: 5553528 slot_leader_id: 5003307 size: 10794 time: 2021-04-05 19:12:47 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x1cceb69e3137bb00787af6191699475788a509df8d30318595da44d73c10c43eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk13tgw0f2eu2wmw25076k88jdqdd82k9sm5gl8uzqqfs7m8tgzh4mqustes0 op_cert: \x31d9e5c0a3c48e6e370cddd373c92cd93630798a67d5efbc44f724be6ea401d8 op_cert_counter: 1