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 5578476 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 19 slot_no: 26591116 epoch_slot_no: 66316 block_no: 5578299 slot_leader_id: 4555994 size: 8341 time: 2021-04-11 16:10:07 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x597c25262e8d675c15a02564289cd844493470dd7fec93ed0003910012ecb2aaBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1sv5wq84j45knwywjp8ht98y42rt5s8gqe3v3c3qzadgjue9cqepsje98ar op_cert: \x474f15a26f1f1e34b45e1a29bc8913497af5c19e9204da0eb96ed7c8561133a7 op_cert_counter: 6