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 5557509 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 26161089 epoch_slot_no: 68289 block_no: 5557332 slot_leader_id: 4577190 size: 9598 time: 2021-04-06 16:43:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xc51e30893a6d3b35603c31db38d23f55954991b2987eb7a43145566e934a61d3Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12nypp548uqajhg8trnwwsk7fvdp8ljg9murd03ncwwvkuhje675q2vlyss op_cert: \x4eb8f43fa90034829c83a16f17ebe56fb6bdcba378fa365a9b39798ce97c7b4e op_cert_counter: 2