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 5580354 Details
Epoch: 259 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 26630417 epoch_slot_no: 105617 block_no: 5580177 slot_leader_id: 5019893 size: 9242 time: 2021-04-12 03:05:08 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x8ec9d74c2771d54f9f8d0a70b9ff422af1e5f4f39d53d8faddb419ede2e74c8eBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk17jqtq2faheaq74smelhdkrkvjzpx927v29v904apwl6rsrgc4dnsmzvskc op_cert: \xd7fb07fe4f9a4f4f7dff846d4d952558b660f44c7ca4ec44048bf9d8413f998c op_cert_counter: 1