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 5573495 Details
Epoch: 258 Number of transactions in block: 16 slot_no: 26491313 epoch_slot_no: 398513 block_no: 5573318 slot_leader_id: 4634493 size: 6547 time: 2021-04-10 12:26:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xe17b4d3500654fb8b5f949c7e2daa77864953ad9cfbb67ce65e882ae58164a66Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1knups3css9zwcss59s47uq55edshzxuxsyn77s92kehl7hfr399qvctsh6 op_cert: \x4f2d58ab2c218374784636755ec3e15e70f72e21c1134159c952375e17212adf op_cert_counter: 2