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 5557217 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 26155205 epoch_slot_no: 62405 block_no: 5557040 slot_leader_id: 4558149 size: 9472 time: 2021-04-06 15:04:56 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68383829686f8422bc1a01c35613e6598ff57732911aef2fc178af952a80a8ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16gc6z40vt9qmwsfmlgy4n9ftxamfyawzsuspgug3a8w90jx6jv8s7j6knz op_cert: \x89dc4c17289b3209015261004e6d157a9f5d7c7d622def18abb9e597126a9fb0 op_cert_counter: 5