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 5558074 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 45 slot_no: 26173531 epoch_slot_no: 80731 block_no: 5557897 slot_leader_id: 4917548 size: 64087 time: 2021-04-06 20:10:22 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xafc917fe215d765ab7d01ef6593c616c7c4aea378a453f1d35505751ecd051f7Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk16te2keza3vn4r7z5kjz9ywzp09s5xe9lvmxg8ttw2lc8e2ujfh6s0sxtze op_cert: \x55e53a9923fd37c9e2ad2af735a86300e883c3cf295b71d9821c7ff2c48b6484 op_cert_counter: 2