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 5558521 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26182919 epoch_slot_no: 90119 block_no: 5558344 slot_leader_id: 4587418 size: 2982 time: 2021-04-06 22:46:50 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x68ea97f6af50e3ca95003cee233bdbda736a00627e8ed559137fe244444d5c2bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1wn86jqjs756ch5t0muq8dfugxxwfvrwnh4mkj2nkxlavmagwy37sx59pej op_cert: \x00245e60f1703794ca5cd36c7cb21addd3a2109dee4b737bf60dca9cdb833a83 op_cert_counter: 4