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 5562526 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 36 slot_no: 26267498 epoch_slot_no: 174698 block_no: 5562349 slot_leader_id: 5278927 size: 18874 time: 2021-04-07 22:16:29 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x265c7f03913996f0096303ad975e33fc00f3939a0b8903afc79286c68e26d24bBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1lgcdfw2m3dnsfw8lp2kyp55rhhngd9dqlp3ku454wpk6fvdl9p6q8pz5ac op_cert: \xf9cf7eeb8b6e8ed39baf7b0fe3255be2410cf7163f03497ec7ded18050db10e3 op_cert_counter: 1