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 5558132 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 9 slot_no: 26174656 epoch_slot_no: 81856 block_no: 5557955 slot_leader_id: 5086951 size: 3915 time: 2021-04-06 20:29:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x98cc2d22bddca6cd11ba9f658d08de8eea06d0ae0243d4e1f742c05a415af089Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk18x0e7dx8j37gdxftnn8ru6jcxs7n6acdazc4ykeda2ygjwg9a7ls7ns699 op_cert: \xc41c42d5d36b748c596242d70ab06f81893d0ce6f474d2388d8643bbcf559568 op_cert_counter: 3