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 5553860 Details
Epoch: 257 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26086763 epoch_slot_no: 425963 block_no: 5553683 slot_leader_id: 4563239 size: 4964 time: 2021-04-05 20:04:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe54eff642be488cf4dcf952c6d1e80aa315a5bbaeca2b4253ffa7d426fedceeaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk14lte7hr4l993j0fdqsemmfy44zc9fc5lt83zrcne4qm0a6l0p8sq5xx0vn op_cert: \xda0ae1c0021452e3a4c3dbb7080d8013bacb13c4aa6dc88e7f995bbcc9120dd1 op_cert_counter: 3