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 5580344 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 10 slot_no: 26630134 epoch_slot_no: 105334 block_no: 5580167 slot_leader_id: 5051184 size: 5089 time: 2021-04-12 03:00:25 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xd1b8681b776cb595eb1a7162bed85ebec21f3902f62df21d73ec73dcd035f7edBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1c0ra4syyv3px2nk45sayf2y99k2mu734tt6ldq22fn0u0sku02yqcp0ge4 op_cert: \x3ea39878ef3f503431173bea022b365a739845c0f1183de63ed5eaa78d1c5735 op_cert_counter: 1