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 5557497 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 26160889 epoch_slot_no: 68089 block_no: 5557320 slot_leader_id: 5222353 size: 8615 time: 2021-04-06 16:39:40 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x0cd0c743982d8d704e5994817e239a21475278c8c9bde5d232ceb931bffec4c9Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1cf6pcjgkyrunmcqzeqknezm4q962z0gntxtzv7rdz28r2crfpcxq677gat op_cert: \x47b436ca102ab4c6295f51dec1b67128169de5533d9552a190a76d9e90049ef9 op_cert_counter: 1