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 5560438 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 22 slot_no: 26224296 epoch_slot_no: 131496 block_no: 5560261 slot_leader_id: 4982013 size: 17389 time: 2021-04-07 10:16:27 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x708b18ca204e96464d3674f5ea724e84efb15b977eea5efa27a26f1e7705e5aeBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1086r9sefs2vuhxzztxkp9ttzvugxazv3v8whudg9y597dwfz6nms6we9dc op_cert: \x7ea5608a0250f37d045761d9bc06064c093bf6047038c23a2d800aeda6cc402e op_cert_counter: 2