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 5566495 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 4 slot_no: 26349106 epoch_slot_no: 256306 block_no: 5566318 slot_leader_id: 5449407 size: 5965 time: 2021-04-08 20:56:37 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x3540c7cf81c82ddb7fc4977ffde4de2557991d443dae91aa281f3aa68ff1b44cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1u35v66v0ku3n2f93gx3ye49wc8g937wcfu38tjec8swg87cghp5scc59a5 op_cert: \xd88935e50f228117af50b5c6ba67407f252dc0f70c275f8dd68a6b9a4dcb638c op_cert_counter: 1