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 5558336 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 32 slot_no: 26178974 epoch_slot_no: 86174 block_no: 5558159 slot_leader_id: 4555619 size: 27420 time: 2021-04-06 21:41:05 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xad949da99ee46deb99ce33c3bcb69086358ce2442dd061db0648aaec94aa2dbeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lqtj7dj5hdqdfe07fzydp5rdqed88ktesuvlgljqwudqr3dlt99swz8kz2 op_cert: \x9eee9a4689881164a2a1c34ce66ebbaee4614c787796a09b1ffd610ee6c552c1 op_cert_counter: 5