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 5580266 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 12 slot_no: 26628562 epoch_slot_no: 103762 block_no: 5580089 slot_leader_id: 4575007 size: 4672 time: 2021-04-12 02:34:13 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x4afd6a279d9ffaf33e4882b2974c5fa9601f78ad0aa8a666381d4b74daadb159Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1h098h6ypq7lrts9ms69pxx4t4a4h5uqshe7avn8s0f8frncz67fsx4xr2g op_cert: \xba0fc52c50a60ada001b65be38f58853cf0cc9d4a7da5f6801818340cc638450 op_cert_counter: 4