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 5558857 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 5 slot_no: 26190309 epoch_slot_no: 97509 block_no: 5558680 slot_leader_id: 5086944 size: 2372 time: 2021-04-07 00:50:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ac38a1888fcfa2b6d81f78156ca2feb2f40e02883fa4962292c2080f4b20bd8Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1yrw00a2knfxwg6ju5fqu4pqnxkc4uedn35u43y3mcgm9m99s626qgugm8p op_cert: \x4c5a1ed9250fb72f332825db8d976194b48c1b7e312581f4a883d2b603d87655 op_cert_counter: 3