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 5576605 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 8 slot_no: 26554569 epoch_slot_no: 29769 block_no: 5576428 slot_leader_id: 5256580 size: 18897 time: 2021-04-11 06:01:00 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x71d618edfa00ad43b333a09b773d4c3ba80e6d0c9dfebca5c290c101a435184eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1043fn5s35lt23pwcy9yvh83af9nptm4jtyzt2cx3epzf8cd2jylstv3vnd op_cert: \xad716066d7182fec8813586477bfd07fd13f5a0baa87bada0ee62d58388f62e4 op_cert_counter: 5