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 5562057 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 26257346 epoch_slot_no: 164546 block_no: 5561880 slot_leader_id: 4689830 size: 18314 time: 2021-04-07 19:27:17 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8887c310134a3958a8af3c8745e8b83e3eb9faae6c6327ab0fdd1389fa47dd6eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1pw52gwjshsr4tslssyx9ssk2fpv0ytrf20lj4uh2gfudx7jqp5tsj88p57 op_cert: \x441d3df4cb8908d5e099926c2eceb9c6e1092282fdcb90d1fbd3b1ab3897c729 op_cert_counter: 2