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 5557704 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 40 slot_no: 26165582 epoch_slot_no: 72782 block_no: 5557527 slot_leader_id: 4558711 size: 17629 time: 2021-04-06 17:57:53 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x62b58c04ae30902e1bb79ca79ca359f9d66a66ce09fb7a4343ea322c6232f7dcBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1xnpprrn77xe9as4a7cv5dehdr5ju6h06w87nn4rnfr2kr2dw3jyqpcy2r6 op_cert: \xec18764eee296ca14c2286f6731ea17efdeebfd426e66695f1c83cfa38bad2a1 op_cert_counter: 3