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 5557740 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 17 slot_no: 26166341 epoch_slot_no: 73541 block_no: 5557563 slot_leader_id: 4614290 size: 64173 time: 2021-04-06 18:10:32 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xb1fec1adc8ab3ca7320595231272aba854801a516f079936e10cc1abdf16586dBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1maculfw24mfcn6dfzrl4rywxalwgayqknrqzyx9lcaxhml92pj6sra9lu5 op_cert: \x2c48f00023593bc9eee263f9fddd041ab97fbb8d5d03599bd7244c0311c896bb op_cert_counter: 4