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 5557980 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 26171380 epoch_slot_no: 78580 block_no: 5557803 slot_leader_id: 4982656 size: 22109 time: 2021-04-06 19:34:31 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x74ee42fbbba51901bd47b0de6f6ed8fe8759784e17f15e242811642b1d737b59Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1ecurxr8yy02jck3tsgkd02pr956hdt456grgjfg65pxxe8lz2vnqk4namr op_cert: \xfa56c22eaa14731b04f3c9a58b2db40f0785a3ed3ec609b026e348032865dba1 op_cert_counter: 1