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 5556649 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26143597 epoch_slot_no: 50797 block_no: 5556472 slot_leader_id: 4598518 size: 8721 time: 2021-04-06 11:51:28 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x66afb0de6e674b23f42d7ca51f8e25f0178c7c8bfeaca144b13ab72a1e835ae1Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1f8ugl3vv734dx4c3k23wtqya2pcec7gjv7mamcth2qwqhcr45fdsw9lugj op_cert: \xd6b79c64d0f3ebc7d54fb31b3077bf7aedd59569a49f503c6eec380073a61d45 op_cert_counter: 5