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 5557608 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 30 slot_no: 26163683 epoch_slot_no: 70883 block_no: 5557431 slot_leader_id: 5286313 size: 12656 time: 2021-04-06 17:26:14 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x37fdb8e7ed8b307dcbddd44fd3515dd125c6072d6121460ed669406f44bcb8ecBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk105paawkv3vt77r82eteymjajan0kwl0mr8gjlll0j442pqz5ag0ql66mry op_cert: \x655b777c3569627b012bb1236414864ad5151f72fbd46402a2ee63c613a61b11 op_cert_counter: 1